The Hidden Village Talons
by RawnChie14
Summary: The five talons of the Hidden Village gauntlet are being sought out by an unknown enemy, just when new faces show up in the village for a festival. Can Naruto stop an enemy he doesn't even know?... continuation of "Trials of Attachment" (3 months later)
1. The Konoha Festival Begins

**The Hidden Village Talons**

Section 1: Konoha Festival Begins

Konoha Village seemed the same as any other day, even with the village's festival going on during the week. The villagers were decorating the street ways, windows, shops, and homes for the festivities to celebrate the rise of the Hokages. The red and white streamers, paintings, and paper lanterns lined the road sides accompanied by the echoing of laughter and festive music, created a jovial atmosphere all across Konoha. Every citizen was sure to be involved, since this was one of the most entertaining weeks of the entire year.

Visitors from all of the villages came to pay their respects as well, to maintain the shred of peace they have holding their nations together. Small parties would be sent out from each country to offer gifts to the village, and are honored by joining in the festivities. Nothing of incidence had occurred in the past years or celebrations, and everyone remained confident that it would follow into this years Hokage's Festival, or at least they hoped.

In the center of village was the Konoha Hospital, which was still in the process of being decorated. Dozens of chuunin lined the walls scaling all the way up the building, with streamers in hand. Some stopped their work to wave to the enthusiastic patients inside, who were cheering them on as they healed their wounds and illnesses.

At the base of the building was the hard-working Kakashi, who was meticulously pinning up a large sign that read: "_Happy Hokage's Festival! From the Konoha Hospital!_" He leaned back from his perch to make sure it was straightened out across the hospital's entrance, before he was interrupted by the beckoning behind him.

"Kakashi-sensei! Did you make that!?" He turned back, and looked down to see Sakura waiving up towards him.

He smiled brightly, and tapped the banner lightly, "You think I could make something like this? I'm just hanging it up for the hospital, the nurses made it!" He looked down again and noticed that she was all alone, "Hey... where's Sasuke and Naruto?"

She looked up a little and smile, "Oh... I don't know where Sasuke-kun is... but Naruto! That lazy idiot is still sleeping..."

Kakashi chuckled as he crouched down on the ledge. "_Those two make a weird couple, but I like it._ Well you should go and wake him up so he can help me out here in town. Oh and also find Sasuke, we'll need his help here too."

Sakura popped up happily, "Ok! I'm on it!" She broke into a sprint, down the street, weaving herself through the crowd in a hurry.

Kakashi watched her off, with a pleasant smile on his face. "_This should be a fun festival this year..._"

------

Back at Naruto's room, he was still laying in his bed oversleeping as usual. He lay sprawled across his bed, belly up. His left arm was hanging over the edge of his bed, with one of his sandals oddly strapped to his hand. A tapping on his window began suddenly, which didn't trigger a real reaction for Naruto. He grumbled, and pulled his sheets over his head with his free hand.

Outside, Sakura was standing on the street below, throwing small pebbles she could find on the ground. She was hurling the pebbles up to Naruto's window, trying to gain his attention. She sighed heavily and looked down to the ground in disappointment. "_He isn't getting up... We were supposed to go out early together..._" She clinched her teeth and hand angrily, "Stupid Naruto!" She lifted a large brick from the street and hurled it up to his window. "Take... THIS!"

Naruto was peaceful, right before the brick busted through his window, sending the wood from the shutters all around his room. He flew up holding his hands up defensively, "AH! What the hell!" He noticed the sandal on his hand while holding his arms up, and looked up at it. His eyes narrowed, and his lower lip jetted out in befuddlement, before her ripped the sandal off and headed towards his shattered window. Naruto looked out the window and down to see Sakura, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I hope that hit you in your big fat lazy dumb face! You stood me up!"

"_Eh?_" Naruto looked up to the sun for the time, and panicked. His head turned slowly and rickety back to Sakura with an idiotically guilty, "My bad."

Sakura clinched the brick she had in her hand and pumped her fist angrily, "You very bad, idiot!" She hurled the brick up at Naruto in rage.

Naruto saw it and ducked screaming, "Ah-rah! What are you doing!? I'm coming now! I'm sorry!"

------

When he was ready, he came downstairs to see Sakura, with her arms crossed, her eyebrow raised, and her mouth curled in disappointment. Naruto came out rubbing the back of his head nervously, expecting some serious pain.

"Hi Sakura-chan! Heh." She didn't respond, and just stepped forward to him slowly. Naruto looked back at her in fear, "_Oh no! She's going to let you have it now!_" He closed his eyes in anticipation of the abuse to follow, but nothing happened, so he opened his eyes to see what happened. Naruto saw Sakura smiling happily in front of him. Relaxed, Naruto let his guard down.

Still smiling, she pulled right her arm back, and clocked Naruto right across his left cheek, sending him back through the door he came out. She violently started pointing at him with flames in her eyes, "Idiot! Don't be late again!"

Naruto lay sprawled out in the wreck of his door, with a bruised and puffy cheek, "_And I thought she was going to let it slide, oy..._" He got up, carefully stepping through the pile of broken door, rubbing his cheek, "I'm still sorry Sakura-chan, can I make it up to you?"

Sakura turned away smiling, and rolled her eyes while blushing. She looked at the ground shyly, and turned back to him, "Just spend the whole day with me, please?"

He looked at her and grinned cheerfully, nodding in affirmation. His eyes shut, and his grin slowly molded into a large smile, "_Sweet, a whole day with Sakura-chan! I just hope she'll be in a good mood._" She walked up next to him, and grabbed his hand with a cute smile and a small giggle.

------

The pair headed through the forest in search for Sasuke, who Kakashi needed to help with decorations at the hospital. They checked at the creek-side, all across town, in the forest, at the gravestone, and even at the training area. He was nowhere to be found, so the two collapsed in fatigue. Naruto lay across a nearby wooden stump, while Sakura just leaned up against it.

"Where the hell is he anyways..." Naruto whined, as his back arched across the tree stump.

Sakura had her head leaned against her palm, with her eyes closed unenthusiastically. "We need to find him though; Kakashi-sensei said he needed him."

Sasuke came out from the forest side suddenly, "...Needed who?"

Naruto lashed out, "SASUKE?! Where were you, we looked everywhere for you!"

"Humph... I was busy training more, what do you want from me anyways?"

Sakura stood up, "Kakashi-sensei said he needed your help with the festival decorations at the hospital."

"I see. Well, I should go now then." He noticed Sakura grabbing Naruto's hand again when she walked up next to him, and cringed, "_Looks like they're doing fine by themselves anyways._" He walked off through the woods in the direction of the hospital in town.

Naruto watched him off, "I know we have a date Sakura-chan, but I think I should go help out too..."

Sakura looked down a little disappointed at first, but then lifted her head happily, "Yea, I'll come too then, and we can have our date there!"

Naruto nodded to her with a pleased grin across his face. He looked back out to the forest where Sasuke had left through, "_Sasuke's mad at me, I can tell. I wish he wasn't, it's not like I wanted to hurt him or anything._"

------

When Naruto and Sakura arrived at the hospital, they looked up at the building to see that most of it was decorated already. High up was Kakashi, who was yelling down to them while waving his hand high above him.

"Kakashi-sensei, you better have left some stuff for me and Sakura-chan to do!"

"Naturally!" Kakashi hollered from above, releasing a large scroll down towards Naruto.

Naruto panicked when he saw the huge scroll descending towards him, and quickly performed a seal underneath, building some chakra in his palms. He held his palms up and caught the scroll using the chakra build-up in his palms to soften the blow. When it stopped, he lowered it to the ground, and flung back up yelling at Kakashi, "HEY! What the hell! I could have been crushed! Blah, blah..."

Sakura watched Naruto as he continued to go off about the scroll, being very humored by it all. "_That was great... and he doesn't even notice what he just did._" She smiles while watching him still, "_...he's amazing._"

Naruto bent down, and wedged his fingers underneath the side of the scroll. Yanking and tugging at it, he wasn't able to move the scroll much. "Eh?! Why is this scroll so damn heavy?!"

Sakura's expression melted, as she turned pale in disappointment, "_Eh... maybe not that amazing..._"

------

When Naruto finally got the scroll to lift, he had hung it up over the entrance that Kakashi told him to put it. It was perfectly straight, as Naruto pinned up the last corner against the building side. He stood up tall in a super-man pose, "Oh! If you want something done, leave it to Uzumaki Narutooo!!!" He flung his fist up in victory as he began to laugh confidently.

Sasuke looked up at the scroll Naruto hung, and smugly looked away with a grin, "Humph, that's great and all... if it were right side up you moron."

"Eh?!" Naruto turned his head quickly and saw the scroll, which indeed was the wrong side up. "...Ah-reh..." A large drop of sweat rolled down the backside of his head as he stood slumped forward towards the scroll.

Sakura slapped her face in frustration, "_What a bonehead..._" Kakashi was standing next to her, cheerfully laughing at Naruto's error and her reaction to it. Sakura looked up again and saw Naruto's expression, which seemed to be more upset then his usual after making a dumb mistake. She looked up with concern, and then climbed up to the ledge with Naruto. "Naruto...?"

He turned his head slightly, still hanging it in shame, "Did you come up to make fun of me...?"

Sakura pulled back with a sting of guilt, "_Why would I do that to you..._" She stood silently, thinking of what she should do to cheer him up. So, she stepped past him and pulled down one of the corners of the scroll, "I just came up to help you fix it!" She turned and looked at him smiling reassuringly.

Naruto looked up from his head hang, and smiled, "Thanks Sakura-chan." He slowly sauntered past her to the other end of the scroll.

Sakura watched him move to the other end with the concerned expression still on, "..._Since when did Naruto become so sensitive...? He usually brushes things like that off._"

Down below, Sasuke looked up with a seemingly irritated appearance, "_Humph... of course she goes up to help that idiot feel better about being stupid. Who the hell is Naruto anyways...?_" He clinched his fist tightly, trying to hold his emotions in tightly.

Kakashi looked down from the corner of his eye, at the actions of Sasuke, "_Hmm... has Naruto and Sakura's relationship together finally triggered something in Sasuke?_" When he looked back up to Naruto and Sakura, the scroll hand be fixed right side up. The chuunin watching below, all began to cheer since the decorating was now complete with the scroll's rearrangement.

Sakura turned her head to Naruto, who seemed to feel a lot better, and smiled. "_I'm glad he feels better, now..._" She walked over to him, and fell forward to him happily, latching herself onto hit outfit. She looked up towards him, and gave him a small kiss on his cheek. The crowd showed their soft spot for love with a loud and choral "Awww..."

Everyone kept clapping; the mood of celebration and happiness was officially in the air. Among the happy faces and cheers though, was the young boy who didn't feel there was much to be excited about. Sasuke stood among the crowd looking up to them, with an infuriated look full of malice and hatred... "_Why does seeing them together make me so... mad...?_"

------

The next morning, Sakura still lay in bed in her nightgown, and that had not yet risen over the horizon. An incisive, but familiar tapping began against her balcony window. She sat up gradually, and looked at the clock against her wall, which read "4:00 AM."

Sakura smoothed out her morning-messy hair, and groaned, "What the hell...?" She forced herself out of bed, and headed towards her window in an exhausted drag. She opened her balcony doors, and peered over the edge with a weary expression. Down below, she saw Naruto waving idiotically with a pile of pebbles in his hand.

"Sakura-chan! You finally answered!"

Sakura sat there, blinking her eyes in amazement, "_He's... awake... and early...? Yeah, four hours early..._ What the hell are you doing here so early damn it!"

Naruto nervously rubbed the back of his head, "Well I was thinking about getting up on time for out date today, and couldn't sleep... So... I thought I'd ask if I could stay with you the rest of the night...?" He smiled up nervously at his own question, a little embarrassed about asking.

Sakura looked down, and cracked a wide grin. She looked left and right cautiously, then directed Naruto up with her arm gestures.

Naruto found his way up along gutter pipes, ledges, and rooftops to get up to her balcony. When he reached the top, he climbed over the rail and fell face first into the base of the balcony as usual. Sakura leaned back and giggled, helping him up from the ground. "_What an idiot..._"

Naruto got up rubbing his face where he fell, "Oww... Damn it..."

Sakura left him behind and turned back, running over to her bed. Then, she jumped onto her bed resignedly, "C'mon Naruto! I want to go back to sleep."

He smiled, nodded, and headed over to her bed. He sat down at the edge, only to be grabbed from behind by Sakura by the neck, and dragged down next to her. She cuddled up close to him, as he was lying down, "Night, Naruto... I love you..." He held her hand that was draped across his chest, as she dozed off, clutching onto Naruto's arm.

He looked over to her, as she slept, "_How'd all of this happen suddenly, I've got all these friends, and one of the prettiest girls... after having no one..._" He sighed heavily and happily, and dozed off himself.

------

The festival had started, and everyone was out to celebrate the first day of events. More importantly though, was the arrival of the other countries' representatives. The citizens anxiously waited their arrival, due to their fascination of meeting outsiders. One of those excited citizens happened to by Naruto, who was severely enthusiastic about seeing new people.

Naruto ran down the side road, dragging the reluctant Sakura along, "C'mon Sakura-chan! All those genin are going to be there!"

Sakura struggled to keep up as she stumbled along while being pulled, "...Slow...Slow down Naruto!"

He jerked to a halt, "I'm sorry!" He started jumping up and down waving his fists around wildly, "...I'm just so pumped up to meet all these new ninjas who probably have coooooool jitsus!"

Sakura looked at him with her eyes narrowed, "...Chill out Naruto... You'll get to see them."

Naruto turned to her rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, "Heh, I guess you're right. Sorry Sakura-chan." Naruto stopped, and looked over Sakura's shoulder, "Huh? What's that?!" He headed toward the large crowd behind Sakura in a breakout sprint.

When he reached the crowd, his small stature came into play. He began jumping up and down trying to get a viewpoint of what the commotion was all about. Sakura watched him frantically try to find a hole among the crowd, "_He's so excited about these genin from the other countries... I should help him out!_" She headed over to where Naruto was trying to squeeze between these two large men.

He fell back in defeat, and sat on the ground, "Eh... they're too heavy! Oh? Hi Sakura-chan, I can't see anything..." He hung his head in disappointment.

Sakura smiled back at him, "What this, Naruto!" She looked up and tapped the man's shoulder, while putting on a puppy dog face, "Sir... I can't see anything... could me and my friend please go to the front...pleassssseee?"

The guy looked down, with a torn expression on his face, "Awww, anything for you little lady," he said stepping to his side, and clearing out a path for them.

Sakura turned back to Naruto with a modest grin, and Naruto's jaw hung down in amazement. "Ah-rah?"

She gave him a thumbs-up, "Learn from the pros, Naruto!"

He smiled widely, and flung up to his feet, "You're the best, Sakura-chan!" He grabbed her hand and began to drag her again, "C'mon lets go!"

The two made their way to the front of the crowd, and in the middle of the crowd was a small semi-circle enclosed around all of the visiting jounin and genin coming from the other villages and countries.

Naruto flung his arm up and joined into the crowd's cheers, "Wah-hoo! Welcome to Konoha you bastards!" Sakura looked over to Naruto with her eyes narrowed, blushing with embarrassment when people glared at Naruto for his big mouth.

Sakura looked forward, and saw all of the new faces coming for their visit, and clapped her hands together in anticipation, "_...Now that I'm here, I can see why Naruto was so excited, this is fun!_"

"Eh?!?!" Naruto lashed his arm, pointing obnoxiously at someone, "...look Sakura-chan!"

She peered over questionably, and saw three figures walk up through the arriving genin and jounin. It was Kankoru stepped forward with a grin on his face, and then lashed back when he saw Naruto pointing towards him. Temari walked up next to him, laughing and waving towards the stunned pair in the crowd. Gaara lagged behind them, with his arms crossed and the gourd nestled on his back as always.

"Sandies?!" Naruto leaned back smiling, "They're back after helping us with those uglies from before!" He ran up to the three, and without putting much thought into it, jumped on Gaara, giving him a huge hug.

Gaara leaned back, slightly stunned as Naruto hugged him, with the sand nestled protectively between the two. "What... are you doing?"

Naruto flew back giving a thumbs up, "Hugging my good friend, that's what friends do anyways right?!" Gaara looked back with surprise, and then closed his eyes and gave a relieved smirk.

Temari looked over with a touched expression, "_...Gaara's changed so much since that fight with the bigmouth kid over there..._"

Kankoru looked over from behind Temari as well, "_...That idiot did wonders for him, thanks Naruto._"

Sakura walked up happily next to Naruto, grabbing his hand lovingly. Kankoru and Temari noticed the gesture and gasped in disbelief.

"Wha-... what's this?" Kankoru asked, holding his arm up pointing questionably.

Sakura stood up glowing, "Me and Naruto are together now!"

Kanaoru's pupils dilated, and he dropped his head in disappointment, "_...Well there goes my chance..._"

Temari launched forward in excitement, "Awww! The little ones are in love! Hehe!" She reached forward and pinched their cheeks like a grandmother would.

The two looked back unenthusiastically, "_...We're not that little..._"

Gaara silently looked over at Naruto and Sakura as thoughts swam through his head, "_...So that's why he fought so hard for her life before... is this, what love could be?_" He smiled confidently, "..._I hope that's how it is._" He turned his head to Kankoru and Temari, "I'm sorry, but we should be going..." He turned and began to leave.

Temari and Kankoru suddenly remembered that Gaara was right, and turned to Naruto and Sakura, "Sorry, we've got to head out to mean our Jounin, we'll see you around!" Temari said gleefully with Kankoru nodding happily in affirmation, over her shoulder.

Naruto waved frantically as the two walked off, "Bye! Seeya!" He whipped back around towards Sakura in an energetic manner, "Ohhh! This is sooo cool! Isn't it Sakura-chan?!"

She grinned back at Naruto, "Yup! _He's so stupid its cute... heh_." She blushed suddenly, and leaned forward giving Naruto a small kiss.

He flung his arm back behind his head, and began to rub his head nervously, "Heh... Thanks Sakura-chan!" Naruto stopped, and glanced over Sakura's shoulder. She noticed and turned around to see what he was looking at. Off in the distance were Shino and Romi approaching slowly. "Ahh, it's the Shinos!"

Sakura turned her head slightly looking back to Naruto, "...Her name's Romi you know..."

Both Romi and Shino reached the two in time and made their way to the front of the crowd. When Shino reached then, he took his hand out of his pocket holding it up in a greeting, "Hey."

Romi waved happily to Sakura, "Hi Sakura!" She then turned her head to Naruto, and started blushing slightly, "Hi Naruto..."

Shino looked at Romi, then turned to Naruto, and grunted with irritation as his glasses shined over in an intimidating way.

Sakura looked over to Romi with her eyes narrowed and her mouth stretched out suspiciously, "_She better know what's good for her..._"

Naruto just chuckled obliviously to all the vibes being tossed around. Shino crossed his arms and broke up the silence, "...So what are you two doing? What's going on here?"

Naruto pumped his fist up actively, "All the Jounin and Genin from afar are arriving, and they're all so cool!"

Shino's eyebrows arched up with interest, "Oh really? Sound's interesting." He glanced over to Romi, "You want to stay here and watch for a while?"

She popped up smiling, "Sure! It should be interesting!"

The four crowded around the front of the crowd, watching the new Jounin and Genin arrive one band at a time.

------

First to arrive were the villagers from the Hidden Mist Village, from the water country. Naruto crossed his arms in disappointment, "Nothing fun about water genin..."

The jounin who stepped forward looked as if he were a pirate. He stood tall with a black eye patch on his left eye, and was clearly bald. His blue jacket had lame looking buttons on them, and his pants were tight and black, making the jounin look awfully foolish.

Naruto flung his arms up wildly, "He looks stupid! The genin is probably going to be even worse!"

Sakura looked forward, "You're probably right, Naruto..."

The four waited for the genin to step forward, and she did. She was a gorgeous girl, with long black hair, long eye lashes, and crystal blue eyes. Shino and Naruto flew forward with hearts in their eyes and said at the same exact moment, "Ahh! She's so beautiful!"

Sakura and Romi stood behind them with their expressions showing anger. "_...Men..._"

The female jounin looked up, and noticed Naruto ogling her, and waved to him flirtatiously. Naruto looked back with his mouth open happy, and blood running slightly from his nose, then got followed with a bash over the skull from Sakura.

"Don't look at her like that you bastard! I thought you loved me!?!" she said pumping her arm, and twitching in fury.

"Eh?! I was just looking! Jeeze, Sakura-chan..."

Sakura huffed and turned away from him, "_...That jerk... How could he look at her like that! ... or am I just over reacting, because I'm jealous...?_"

Next to arrive were the Nin of the Grass country. The Jounin representing was nothing special. The woman stood up tall with a light green robe, something you would expect from Nins that use flora jutsus. Behind here though was the genin, who caught Naruto's eye. He was about the same height as Rock Lee, and had noticeably unique brown dread locks. Naruto had never seen he hairstyle before, and was very impressed. Also the genin had dark brown tracks all across his body, which looked like roots underneath his skin, which all flowed together into his eyes, which were colored green with white in the center.

Naruto bounced up laughing, "Oooo! So cool looking! I want to see him fight!" Naruto jumps into the open and starts doing charades, "...He probably makes his roots all come out of his arms or some crazy crap like that!"

Sakura pleads with him, "Come back in here and stop grabbing so much attention!"

The genin glared over with the corner of his eye, towards Sakura who was pulling and tugging Naruto back into the crowd desperately. The two didn't notice the looks that were being given, and the dark manner that they were given in.

Following behind the Grass country were those from the Hidden Stone Village of the Earth Country. The Jounin who lead the group, stood very tall, and had a unique look. His hair was colored red, and ran back smoothly between his shoulder blades, wore his protector around his left arm over his blue colored outfit. The genin behind him had wildly spiked hair, seemingly long. The brown spikes looped out and up, then curved down in front of his head protector. Around his shoulders were two large sacks, one over each shoulder. He had a small muscled shirt and black shorts that dropped down just below his knees.

The genin jogged up to the front of the crowd, and raised his fist obnoxiously, "I am Murata Benjiro! Great ninja from Hidden Stone Village! You will all get to see my strength soon enough! I promise!"

Sakura looked at him all worn-out, "_...Another Naruto? The Naruto of the Earth Country..._" She sighed despondently, and then grinned at the thought of Naruto's attitude.

His jounin looked back at him, "Don't go running your mouth too much Benjiro, we want to do things right here, understand?"

Benjiro turned around nervously running his head, "Yea, yea Hideo-sensei... My bad..." He hung his head shamefully and continued on back Naruto and the gang. When the two moved on with their village council lagging behind them, another band followed closely, as Naruto grinned in anticipation.

Shino looked at the departing Benjiro, "_...He's very powerful... I could sense his strength..._" Before he noticed though, he was startled and jerked his head towards the new group coming forward. "..._What is this... this obscene strength...!?_"

The travelers from the final village participating in the visits this year approached. The members of The Hidden Cloud Village approached all together.

Naruto launched forward in excitement, "Oooo! The Lighting Country Sakura-chan! They use electricity in their jutsus! SO COOL!" He leaned forward impatiently, waiting for the figures to come into view.

Stepping forward was the Jounin, a blonde hair man, who happened to be very large and intimidating. His hair was short and held back with a bandana, and his fists had there peculiar metal gauntlets on them, which had blue stones protruding from the surface. Naruto smiled at the bad-ass appearance of the Jounin, but then widened his eyes as the genin moved forward.

"..._What... is that...?_" Naruto, Sakura, Shino, and Romi all leaned forward in shock when the genin moved forward.

The genin was sitting in a peculiar and frightening chair. It had a series of wires jetting out of its body, which had an eerie glow bellowing below it. There were large wheels on its sides, and they seemed to be advanced with added steel points in them. The wires out its sides seemed to trail underneath the Genin... who sat silently in this monstrosity. He had a large pair of goggles covering his eyes, which were colored black. His hair was black, and mostly covered by a red bandana. The most peculiar aspect of the genin in this chair was the position of his protector, which was tightly tied around his face, covering his mouth. The rest of his body was covered with one large black jumpsuit, which had a lifted collar similar to Shino's jacket.

Naruto leaned back slightly perturbed by the look of the chair in front of him, and so was the rest of the crowd. The genin did not react to the astonishment of the people regarding his appearance, nor the comments they made about him. Naruto nudged Sakura, "...What is that anyways... why is he sitting down?"

An old man next to him placed his arm on Naruto's shoulder upon overhearing his question to Sakura, "It's a wheelchair my boy."

Naruto looked up to the man in wonder, "...Wheelchair...? Why?"

The old man looked forward towards the genin, "...He cannot walk most likely..."

Naruto dropped his jaw, "EH?!"

Sakura popped up behind him with concern on her face, "What do you mean he can't walk?"

The old man crossed his arms sternly, "Well... some children are born with problems they have no control of... you should know of this well young one." He placed his hand onto Naruto's head, and Naruto looked towards the genin compassionately. He looked around at how everyone was behaving when they saw the genin, and it reminded him of how he was long ago.

"...and he's... a genin?" Romi tilted her head questionably, "...how can he be a genin if he can't even walk...?"

Naruto looked over quickly, and felt a flame inside of him ignite, as he exploded towards Romi, "What?! You think that just because he was born with a problem at birth, that he can't overcome it and become a great ninja anyways?! Anyone can be anything if they just try hard enough! And they don't need people like you doubting them!"

Romi looked back at Naruto feeling crushed, and retreated from his angry being. Shino stepped forward pushing Naruto back slightly, but Romi pleaded with him, "No... its ok Shino, he's right. I'm sorry Naruto."

Naruto looked back, and nodded towards Romi. Sakura looked towards Naruto with unease, "_...Naruto took that so hard... I've never seen him blow up like that._"

Naruto turned back towards where the old man was standing,"...But old man, there's a way he can walk ri..." He turned to see the man had left, "Ah-reh...?"

Shino's eyebrow rose up, "_I didn't sense him leave... that was strange..._"

Naruto crossed his arms in disappointment, but then slowly turned to the rolling genin, who turned his head back towards Naruto. Naruto looked directly at the genin's goggles, "_...I really want to see what this guys got... I really do..._"


	2. Good Times Gone Sour

Section 2: Good Times Gone Sour

Naruto, Sakura, Shino, and Romi wandered around town after all the visiting villages had arrived. Naruto was still acting strange from before, never looking up from the ground as he continued on. Sakura looked over time to time, worrying constantly about what he was thinking about. Naruto had his distance from the other three, thought.

Sakura looked back ahead, and squinted sorrowfully, "_What happened to him... he was so excited before... to see those genin... and to be going on our date today._" She glances back over to him again, "_...now he can't even lift his head anymore..._"

Both Shino and Romi noticed the melancholy between the couple, as they peeked over out of the corner of their eyes. Romi started nudging the closer Shino to do something, looking at him pleadingly. Shino slowed down slightly, and shifted himself over to the other side of the couple, next to Naruto who was on the outside. Romi inched herself closer to Sakura, since they were trying to counsel the two.

Romi walked next to her, and looked over to her, "I... know you don't know me that well... but if anything's wrong, you can tell me about it!"

"...it's ok Romi. It's nothing."

"Is it Naruto?"

Sakura lifted her head gasping quietly, and then dropped her head back down, "...I... I don't know how to cheer him up. I usually do, but I can't now... now that I'm in love with him... It makes me feel so worthless."

Romi looked over compassionately, "...Don't worry Sakura... He's just thinking about some things... He'll get better..."

Sakura frowned miserably, and turned her head to Naruto, "_I hope so... I can't see him like this..._"

On the other side, Shino whispered to Naruto quietly, "What's wrong Naruto? Are you mad at Sakura-chan or something?"

Naruto answered without changing his view, "No."

Shino scratches his head in confusion, "...Then what's with the moping? What'd she do?"

"...it's not her. I love Sakura-chan." Shino stood up straight, and listened for him to continue. "It's just... that Cloud genin." Shino looked over confused and questionably. "I just... hate to see that."

"See what...?"

"...anyone suffer a bad fate. It's not fair, and I understand it all too well."

Shino's eyebrows rose in an understanding manner, "Oh?" He looked back ahead, "...I know you're thinking about things... but Sakura seems to be very worried about you."

Naruto looked back at Shino, and then looked past him at Sakura, who was still upset about how he was acting. He sighed despondently, "...I'm hurting her feelings aren't I?"

"No... she just cares about you a lot is all."

Naruto stopped suddenly, drawing everyone to stop a few steps ahead. They all looked back at him, particularly Sakura, as he hung his head down low, letting his hair cover his expression. Suddenly, he shot his head up and looked into Sakura's eyes smiling, "I owe you a date don't I Sakura-chan?!" He chuckled confidently.

Sakura built a smile across her face over her previously saddened expression, "_Naruto..._ Yup! What are we going to do though... is there anywhere to go even?"

He thinks quietly, while he goes through the possibilities. He then looks up smiling confidently, "I know what to do Sakura-chan! You want to come too Shino? Romi?"

Both Romi and Shino smile suggestively, "No, its ok! You guys should have some time alone," Romi said holding out her hand happily. Shino nodded in agreement with Romi's idea.

Naruto squinted with a grin on his face, "Ok!" He glances over to Sakura, "Come with me then!" Sakura smiled, and made walked over to Naruto, grabbing his hand affectionately.

------

Shino and Romi continued on by themselves, looking at all of the small stands down the street. Shino stopped by one of the stands, and walked up to the counter, staring down at the tabletop. Romi noticed and approached him from behind to see what he was looking down at. Before she could see, he snatched whatever he was looking at, off of the counter and concealed it in his palm.

Romi grabbed his arm, which she couldn't get to budge, "Awww c'mon what is it?" Shino jerks his arm away temporarily, and reaches forward towards her head with his fist still clinched. Romi falls back nervously, "...what... what're you doing?"

He fiddles his hands around a little above her head and leans back happily, "...there." He grabs a nearby mirror and shows her what he had done.

In her hair was a small dragonfly hair pin made with colored gemstones and metal of a silvery color, which seemed pretty expensive at first glance. She looked at the hairpin, blushing nervously, "...Shino...?"

He turned to the clerk, and handed her a handful of money he had wedged in his pocket. "Thank you very much! It looks very nice on her!"

Shino looked back at Romi brightly, "I know..."

Romi pulled back, smiled and blushed brightly, "...Thank you Shino." He just smiled silently, and lightly touched the side of her face, brushing her hair over slightly.

The shop clerk shot up ecstatically, "Oh I love when my jewelry is bought for young love!"

Their moment though was suddenly interrupted by the loud cheering behind the buildings opposite the jewelry stand. "What's going on?"

Romi looked back at him and grabbed his hand smiling, "Let's go see!"

The two followed their ears through a small alley way, to see a large open area turned into a stadium by villagers who were crowded around in an oval shape. Shino and Romi weaved and crawled their way through the large crowd to get to the front of the crowd. When they got there, they looked up at what was going on in the center, and saw two ninja standing in the ground opposite of each other.

Shino looked at the ninja to the left, and didn't recognize him. He looked closely to him, and noticed the mark on his head protector. "A sound ninja?! What is he doing here?!"

The ninja stood there smiling smugly towards the figure opposite from him, and he received boos all across the crowd which he briskly brushed it off, with his arms crossed. He had a very small ponytail at the back of his head and two peculiar metal earmuffs on his head. He did have the typical sound nin outfits though, consisting of black and white camouflage pants and vest.

Shino looked over quickly to who was standing on the other side, and saw the kid from earlier that day, standing with his arms crossed and with a smug smile of his own. "It's that Benjiro kid... This should be interesting..."

Benjiro opened his lips widely, exposing a huge confident crack. He whipped one of his arms out, and pointed toward the sound ninja, Naruto-like, "You... you don't belong here! I'll make sure you leave this festival immediately though..." He flung his fist into his palm in a threatening way, "Even if I have to show you some pain!"

The sound ninja laughed, "Don't talk big little kid... you don't know what you're getting into... you're just a little puke Stone genin! Like I should fear you!"

Benjiro stood up straight and adjusted the two sacks hanging over his shoulders, "I'm sorry you underestimate me, sound idiot."

The sound ninja twitched with anger, "Humph... so you want to show me then, just how worthy you are?"

Benjiro began to bounce up and down, back and forth, like a boxer would, "I wouldn't recommend it, you might get pretty hurt!"

The sound ninja lashed back, and then leaned forward, "...I'm quite tired of these kiddy games! Time to get things serious!" He shot forward holding three kunai in between his fingers, "Idiot kid! Hope you'll like THIS!"

Benjiro smiled as he continued to bounce as he waited for the attack to occur. When the ninja reached him, Benjiro danced out of the way also similar to how a boxer would.

As the sound ninja missed, he glared at Benjiro on the way by, and launched his kunai at the exposed body of Benjiro, "I've got you, brat!"

Benjiro noticed the approaching kunai, and smirked, turning his back to the knives, which ended up ricocheting off of one of Benjiro's sacks hanging off of his back.

"WHAT?! Damn it!" The sound ninja had a split second before he noticed that Benjiro was continuing to turn with his fist clinched tightly.

"...Stupid sound idiot..." Benjiro connected fully with the sound ninja's ribs, sending his limp body to roll helplessly across the dirt, screaming in pain. The ninja came to a halt, as Benjiro stood up straight once again, chuckling to himself. Benjiro took a swing at the air with each arm, and continued to bounce around.

Shino looked at his in amazement, "_Just as I thought... He is powerful..._"

The sound ninja slowly rose to his feet, breathing heavily, and in pain. "_Shit... that punch... broke my rib and winded me... this isn't too good..._" He stood up straight and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, smirking towards Benjiro. "You're a little bastard aren't you? I have a method for losers like you!" The sound ninja pulled his left arm up to the side of his head, touching one of the earmuffs attached to his ears.

Benjiro stood still, and arched his eyebrow questionably, "Hmm... so you're finally going to use those things." He smirked, "I'm glad you're taking things more seriously now."

"Don't flatter yourself, brat! I just don't feel like wasting anymore time with you!" The sound ninja flicked on the earmuffs, and stood up straight. "Now... I begin..."

Benjiro flung his arms out, then pulled them back into a fighting stance, "Well moron... begin then..."

The sound ninja grunted, and charged forward no faster than he was before. Shino watched closely, with Romi looking on with her hands to her mouth. Benjiro stood still, waiting for the effect of those headphones to kick in. "_When is this guy going to use those things...?!_" The ninja reached him, giving him no other choice but to take his shot. His fist flew across his body, and towards the sound ninja's head.

Suddenly, he disappeared and Benjiro's swing passed through air. Shino, Romi, and the rest of the crowd were caught in shock. "_...Where... where'd he go?!_"

The sound ninja appeared above the bent over Benjiro, and crushed Benjiro's head with his fist, driving the young Stone genin's head deeper and deeper into the ground as he drove his fist downward. Everyone gasped as the sound ninja launched himself to a distance far from the driven Benjiro.

Shino looked on with sweat rolling down his head, "_Did he... defeat him?!_"

Benjiro's legs, which were now hanging up in the air since he was buried from the waist up, began to flail around wildly. He wriggled his way out of the whole, rubbing the back of his head, "Oww! That punch stung, sound idiot!"

The sound ninja looked back with widened eyes at Benjiro, "...What... why! I connected my punch cleanly!"

Benjiro smiled while cracking his neck and back, "You just aren't that strong I guess..." The sound ninja cringed at the comment made about him. "All I've got to do is find a way to get you pesky sound idiot." Benjiro pointed up to the sound ninja's earmuffs and smirked, "You're using those to hear my movements anyways..." The sound ninja recoiled and stepped back in horror, "...so all I've got to do is attack faster than the speed of sound... right?"

Benjiro stood still, with his hands held out confidently. The sound ninja gripped his hand tightly, "Who... the hell are you anyways..."

He bounced up holding his fist forward, "My name's Murata Benjiro! Great genin of the Hidden Stone Village! I'm glad you've learned you're lesson, no?"

The ninja gasped, "You...you're letting me go...?"

"Course... you just don't show your face around here ever again... got..."

"Benjiro... don't be merciful for such scum." Benjiro whipped around and saw the genin who was sitting in his wheelchair, with his arms crossed.

Shino leaned forward when he noticed, "...The Cloud genin...!"

Benjiro rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Eh... c'mon Naizen... He's going to leave... there no reason to..."

"There's plenty of reason to destroy this waste of space ninja... he's the type that walks all over people, only if he feels they're a weaker level than him self."

The sound ninja suffered a small lapse of judgment, "You wouldn't know the first thing about walking you freak genin...!"

Naizen didn't react to the comment made, but only turned his head very slowly towards the sound ninja, "...something I'd expect from a reject like you... You tire me."

Benjiro pleaded with Naizen, "Hey... hey, it's not the time Naizen... don't do anything rash, eh?"

The sound ninja laughed, "What is that screwed up ninja going to do anyways! Drive over my feet or something?!" He continued to mockingly ridicule Naizen and his wheelchair, as Naizen himself sat in his chair with his arms remained crossed.

"If you're so confident that I'm a weakling... then attack me with everything you have moron."

The ninja huffed, "_What a stupid ninja... what does he possibly think he can do without using his legs... fool! He may have special jutsus... but I'll hit him first before he even gets a chance to use them!_" The sound ninja charged heavily listening for any sounds coming from his earmuffs. "_I hear nothing! This punch will hit!_"

He soared across extraordinarily quickly, and connected his blow right onto Naizen's left cheek, sending him and his wheelchair airborne, striking the ground in a cloud of smoke.

Shino looked back at the fight ensuing, "_...He lost... already? Why didn't he dodge the attack...? He's not showing his power..._! But why!"

The ninja stood up after delivering his punch, and rubbed his knuckles lightly, "Only thing you hurt on me was my knuckles when they were busting your face... what a worthless ninja." The ninja laughed arrogantly for a while, and then froze up in shock, "...my ...my arm...!" He held it out in front of him and looked down upon it in fear, "It's... tingling... what's wrong...?" Suddenly, his arm limply fell to his side, and hung down motionless. "What's this?! I can't... move my arm!"

"Of course you can't..." Naizen came wheeling out of the dust of his impact with the ground.

The ninja pointed frantically with his live arm, "You! I punched you with everything I had!"

Naizen crossed his arms, "Well... as Benjiro told you before... I guess you aren't that strong."

"Grr... shut up you shit head! Freaks who can't walk can't win anyways!"

"Well... how's your arm feeling?" The ninja looks up in shock, "...Yea... you won't be able to move your arm for a while. Punch me again... and you won't have any arms to fight with... You already lose."

The ninja lashed forward in a panic, "So...So let me go then, like you guys said you would...!"

Benjiro crossed his arms with a smirk, "Fine... we'll let you go, just..."

Naizen tore in, "No..." Everyone looked at Naizen in shock, "...people like you don't deserve to live."

The ninja steps back nervously, "...What?! ...No!"

"I have a question for you though, before I kill you..." Naizen switches on the small console on his wheelchair, and looks up threateningly, "...Who's worthless now...?" Naizen pressed his console lightly, and vanished with speed. The ninja curled up in fear when he couldn't see where the genin had gone, until he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down in slow motion since things were happening so fast, and noticed small bolts coming from his chest. Naizen appeared in front of him, and with no time to react, the ninja took a punch to his chest, sending him flying backwards, falling onto his back.

The crowd fell silent at the intensity of the hit delievered by the Cloud genin. Naizen turned his head towards the damaged sound ninja. He looked at him as if he were waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, the sound ninja began to react to the hit.

Shino and the rest of the people looked in horror at the ninja who Naizen had strewn out. He was frantically screaming while gasping for air and flailing his arms around.

"I... CAN'T... BREATHH... AHHHH!" The ninja flopped on the ground helplessly, as Naizen watched heartlessly.

As the sound ninja continued to scream in terrible pain, Benjiro ran up to him and pointed to the dying ninja, "Naizen! Don't kill anyone here! Save him now!" Naizen sat there motionless, and looked over to the ninja without compassion, "Naizen!"

Next to the ninja, the jounin that arrived with Naizen landed, and placed his hand on the ninja's chest. A shock came out of the jounin's hand, and the ninja flopped out in relief, breathing heavily, but normally once again. Naizen looked over to his jounin and grumbled in disappointment.

His jounin lashed up, "I told you before! You are not to kill anyone! I don't give a shit if you think is right! Don't ever pull this crap again Naizen!"

Naizen turned his chair away quietly, "Fine... then you deal with that dirt, then... I'm leaving." He found his way out of the crowd, as his angry jounin watched him leave.

Shino also watched from afar, with sweat rolling down his face, "_...what a terrible technique... he almost killed him in one move..._" He looked over to Romi, "...Are you ok?"

She looked back at Shino a little frightened, but nodded towards him, "...Yea, I'm fine."

Shino pulled her close and comforted her knowing the intensity of what they had just seen, "_...he must have use electricity to warp the nerves to his heart and lungs with that blow... but where does the electricity come from? Chakra can't do that... or was it those wires..._" He rubbed Romi's hair in a consoling manner, "_...poor Romi, I wish I didn't make her stay and see that... even I'm rattled._"

------

Naruto and Sakura walked through the festival cheerfully. Naruto spotted a game stand, which had these stuffed frogs to win, and shot over to the front counter grinning widely.

"Sakura-chan, look! Do you want one of these?" he yelled pointing at one of the pink colored frogs.

Sakura giggled, "Yea, they are kind of cute!"

Naruto popped up holding up his fist, "Oh! Then don't you worry! I'll win it for you! ...So how do you play this game anyways?"

The game vendor laughed heartily, "This game is easy boy! All you need to do..." He turned away from Naruto and Sakura and held his hand out, "...is hit this plate with this hammer here, ring the bell on top. Think you can do it young genin?"

Naruto flung back laughing, "Can I do it?! C'mon old man, this will be easy!" Naruto slammed down money onto the counter and made his way over to the platform chuckling. He grabbed the heavy hammer next to him, and lifted it onto his shoulder. "This is as good as won!" Naruto grasped the handle tightly and rocked the mallet down to the platform, banging the small pin up the pipe above. The pin slid up, but fell short of the bell on top. "WHAT?!" Naruto flung his arm upward to the bell, "What the hell is that!"

The vendor started laughing again, "You think I'd make it that easy for a genin like you?!"

Naruto looked back flatly, and then flung his fist forward again, slamming down more money, "I'll win this! You'll see!"

Sakura slapped her face helplessly, "_...Oh... Naruto..._"

Naruto kept trying over and over, slamming down more and more money. Every time he tried, it was just short. "Eh... this sucks..." He rooted through his wallet and pulled out his last bit of money, and mournfully slid it forward across the counter top, "I'll... win this thing..."

Sakura grabbed his arm earnestly, "Naruto! It's ok! Don't throw away your last bit of money! It's not that important to me..."

"No way Sakura-chan, I don't give up that easily! I want to see you happy, and I'll do anything for it!" He ran up to the platform and shifted the mallet over his shoulder, while Sakura watched helplessly. "_This is my last shot... I've got to do this!_" He put every shred of power and chakra he had into the swing, sending the pin shooting up at incredible speeds. It not only hit the bell, it knocked the bell off the top from the intensity of the swing. "Eh! Alright! I did it!" Naruto jumped up and down in victory with the pink frog in his hand.

Sakura curled up laughing and blushing, "_You're so reckless... but you never gave up..._" She became surprised when he shoved the pink frog into her arms.

She looked up and saw Naruto smiling, "This is for you Sakura-chan...! Sorry it took so long, though."

Sakura smiled brightly, and looked away in a coy fashion, "...Thank you, Naruto..."

------

Naruto and Sakura walked through the rest of the carnival, doing whatever they could do, since Naruto had no money left from the stand earlier that day. So they decided to take a walk through the forest outside of the village, so they could be alone together.

They reached a small flower patch, where Sakura stopped and bent down near. "I always used to come here when I was little... and I always came here to pick flowers for Sasuke-kun..."

Naruto stood up tall with a dreary expression, with his arms crossed.

Sakura stood up, and held out an array of flowers in front of Naruto, "...but now, I'm here to pick them for you Naruto!"

Naruto looked at her and the flowers in surprise, and then smiled tenderly, "...Thanks Sakura-chan...!" He reached over and grabbed a hold of her hands, and locked eyes with her.

"...Na...Naruto...?" Sakura froze up, and her eyes grew glassy, as Naruto and Sakura shared a little moment. Their faces approached one another very slowly, while they never separated their eye contact. When they met, they locked lips with each other, both closing their eyes.

They both pulled back from one another, and smiled brightly. "I love you, Naruto..."

Naruto smiled back, "I..." But before he could finish what he was saying, he gasped and looked to his left quickly. Before he could react, though, a brown tentacle struck him across his face, sending him flying back through the flowers.

Sakura jerked her head towards him, "...Naruto!" She turned back to where the attack originated from, and saw the genin from the Grass country winding the vine back into his exposed arm with a smirk on his face. "...The...Grass genin?"

The genin crossed his arms, and twitched his head, flinging his dread locks across to the other side of his back. He uttered in a rippling voice, "...Hajime..." Sakura looked back with a frightened look, when she heard him speak. "...Call me Hajime." He lifted his arm up slowly, pointing towards the staggering Naruto, "...fight me."

Naruto stood up shaken, "...What?... why? Why me?"

Hajime stood up straight, and clinched his fist towards Naruto, "You... have the Nine Tails'... You are the only threat to our mission."

Sakura launched forward, "What mission?!"

"Shut up you weak, ugly ninja!" Sakura became startled and turned around, spotting the Hidden Mist girl standing there grinning.

Sakura adjusted her stance, and stood there pointing towards her, "Who are you calling ugly!"

The girl laughed and brushed her hair to the side, "Figures you'd care about being ugly before being weak..." Sakura pulled back with surprise. "Stupid female shinobi, you're nothing compared to me!"

Sakura hung her head low, but was lifted back up by Naruto's voice, "No..." Naruto looked over to Sakura, "...Don't listen to her... never listen to anyone who says those things to you. You're as strong as you believe you are... don't give up because some bitch ninja tells you she's stronger than you."

The girl lashes towards Naruto screaming, "What did you say?!" She looked over to Hajime, with whiny tears running down her face, "...he called me a bitch..."

Hajime looked back at her, and huffed while closing his eyes, "...He might just be right Kimie..."

She shot up angrily, "Whatever...! I'll just take my anger out on this girl... just keep that cutie out of this!" She waved over to Naruto, "...and don't hurt him too much, so we can go out on a date later!"

Naruto jerked back nervously, with sweat running down his head. Sakura stood back on the other side of the flower field, grinding her teeth and pumping her fist, "_...Date my ass... not with my man!_ Let's go, bitch... This is personal!"

Kimie looked over at her with a dirty smile on her face, "...Glad to get your attention..."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Eh... you girls shouldn't be fighting over me..." Suddenly, Naruto opened his eyes and looked up gasping when he noticed Hajime appearing right before him.

The vines and roots began to slither out from underneath his skin, "You have a lot more than those girls to worry about!" The roots lashed forward towards Naruto, who instinctively jumped back, landing in a crouch.

Naruto glared at Hajime with an alarming expression on his face, "_Shit... this guy... his technique is hard to read..._"

Hajime remained crouched at the crater that Naruto had evaded from, with his roots still buried deep within the ground. The roots crawled back up into his arm, allowing him to stand up straight. He had an evil and confident smile on his face, as he slowly crossed his arms, "...You like that Nine Tails' boy...? Hurry up and show me your power already... I'm already growing tired."

Sakura observed how close the attack was to landing and called out in concern, "Naruto!"

Kimie shot in between her and Naruto. "Don't worry about him! I'll take good care of him during our date after I beat you!"

Sakura growled furiously, "You're never going to touch him, you cow!" She whipped out one of her Kunai, and positioned herself to fight, "...no one touches my Naruto!"

Naruto looks over in astonishment, then flashes into embarrassment, "Awww Sakura-chan, how sweet."

Hajime becomes irritable and dives forward letting his roots and vines flood out of his arms, "Pay attention fool!"

Naruto jerks his head towards Hajime, but didn't notice promptly enough, as the roots found their way around his arms and torso. They spastically tightened around Naruto, giving of a crack as Naruto felt his body illuminate in pain.

Naruto screamed out in pain and the roots constricted tighter, "_Shit! This is bad!_"

Hajime smirked as he held his arms out, which began to release green colored vines. The vines wrapped around Naruto's defenseless neck, and squeezed his throat tightly as well, drawing Naruto to gasp for air.

Sakura noticed from a far, and dropped her jaw, "_...Naruto...? Naruto...!_" She stepped out of her stance and looked towards him with tears in her eyes, "Naruto!"

Kimie turned to see what Sakura was yelling about, and became concerned herself, "Hajime! Don't kill him! He's a cutie, and our leader told us..."

"Shut up! He's threatens the entire plan, he's the one who stopped that Gaara kid before, we wont make the same mistake... We kill him now!"

Sakura's eyes widened, "_Oh no... another plan!_" She arched her eyebrows, becoming focused on Kimie, "_I've got to beat her... and help Naruto!_" She clinched her kunai tightly, and launched herself towards the unaware Hidden Mist ninja. She readied her kunai, and aimed it towards Kimie.

Kimie quickly turned back to Sakura with a smile on her face, "You aren't fast enough...!" She performed her seals very quickly, and screamed, "(Water Element: Water Bubble Technique) Suiton: Mizu Suihou no Jitsu!" A large liquid orb bulged outward in all directions from her clinched palms, blasting Sakura back.

Sakura helplessly flew back, releasing her kunai, and falling to the ground in pain. She landed onto her stomach, lifting her head slightly looking at Naruto, "_...I... I failed again..._" She dropped her head against the ground, as tears rolled down her face.

Kimie released her hands and let the water bubble drop harmlessly over her, watering her hair. She whipped her hair around, letting the water sprinkle around as she behaved like a model. "I told you, that you didn't stand a chance little worthless shinobi girl." She looked over to Naruto, winking flirtatiously, "You should be with a girl like me instead cutie!"

Naruto still struggled within Hajime's constriction, looking over to Sakura who still laid strewn out from the water blast. "_Damn it... Sakura...chan... I need to help her!_"

Kimie walked over to Sakura, and lifted her head by her pink hair, while she was on her stomach. "...but you have this pesky ichuunoonna eh?" She then took out her kunai and held it to Sakura's throat, "...let me free you from your relationship sweetie, so we could have a chance together!"

Naruto's eyes widened in desperation, "_No... Sakura-chan...!_" Naruto's eyes filled with tears of vulnerability, drawing him to shut his eyes as he cowered.

Hajime laughed, "I'm disappointed Nine Tails' boy... you don't even have the strength to save your so called love... how pitiful indeed..." He glanced over his shoulder smugly, "...Kimie, dispatch the shinobi girl... let this so called prodigy, witness the love of his life... drown on her own blood..."

Naruto clinched his hand tightly, "_Sakura-chan! I... can't let you... DIE!_" His eyes shot open with a toss of tears, exposing a familiar red eye with a large slit down its middle. "No..." Hajime and Kimie looked up in shock at the new tone of Naruto's voice. He growled in anger, "...I won't let you win... you bastards..."


	3. Open Your Eyes, Konoha

Section 3: Open Your Eyes, Konoha

Hajime and Kimie stood silent as Naruto growled hideously in Hajime's root prison.

"You... bastards!" Red chakra began to pour out of Naruto's body, seeping through the cracks of the roots wrapped around him.

Hajime's arms began to quiver at the intensity given off by Naruto's rage, "_What the hell is this... what's going on...? Why is he this strong?!_"

Kimie dropped Sakura's head and curled up in fear, "Hajime... what's happening to him! Stop him!"

Hajime squeezed tightly with his roots trying to kill Naruto while he still could, "Shut the hell up! I'm trying Kimie! _Shit!_" Naruto's body suddenly cracked and snapped as the roots around him tightened significantly.

Naruto's head dropped limply, and his expression was covered by his hair as his chakra faded away. He drew silent, as Hajime looked up, grinning. "That was a close one..."

Sakura looked up, as her eyes widened and filled with tears when she noticed what happened. She froze up as she watched with tears rolling down her cheeks, "_...Naruto..._NARUTO!" Sakura slammed her head down to the flower bed, sobbing uncontrollably, "_...I...I couldn't save him... I let him die..._ Just... kill me please..."

Kimie looked down at her, "...What?...why would you want to die...? Are you really that stupid?"

"You... you killed Naruto! I can't let you get away...! Even if I have to die stopping you..."

Kimie stood up tall, and looked over despondently at Naruto's frail body, "...He's...dead?" Her eyes rippled when she saw, "Hajime..." Kimie's eyes filling with tears, "I was serious!"

He looked over to her while still holding Naruto tightly, "...Shut up you stupid bimbo..." She jerked back in shock, "...he didn't like you anyways. No one ever does."

Kimie looked crushed, as her eyes remained locked onto Hajime's heartless expression. "That's.... not true...!"

Hajime looked away from her in disrespect, and huffed arrogantly. "You stupid girl..." Suddenly, he looked forward in shock as his white pupils dilated. A red glow let up in front of his frightened expression, as he got lashed back by a burst of red chakra. He opened his eyes after being shoved down to the ground, and looked at his hands, which had severed roots protruding from them. He looked back up in horror at Naruto, who was still hanging his head down; except he had Hajime's severed roots in his hands.

"Sakura-chan... never say that ever again... never give up... remember..." Sakura looked over to him from the ground crying tears of joy. "...and you..." Naruto raised his head up slowly exposing the red eyes once again, "You make me sick... leave that girl alone..."

Kimie looked over towards Naruto with tears in her eyes, "_...why is he defending me..._"

Hajime laid on his back with his damaged arm held up defensively, "_...What happened?! He cut right through my roots... with just chakra..._ What are you?"

Naruto squeezed the roots in his hands tightly, crushing them within his palms, "...As you called me before... I'm the Nine Tails' boy..."

Sakura looked up, widening her eyes with a sudden realization, "_...Naruto... that isn't Naruto!_"

Naruto's nails grew sharp in both his hands and feet, and his teeth lengthened out of his mouth, "I detest people like you..." He closed his eyes temporarily, and clinched his teeth painfully. He opened them once again, sounding completely different "**...I should kill you right now...**"

Sakura, Kimie, and Hajime looked up in pure fear at the new figure of Naruto. Sakura rose up to her hands and knees in a struggle, "...Naruto..." She forced herself up to her knees, "...What happened to you..."

Naruto looked over to her smiling wickedly, "**...I've never felt better. Right now... I'm great.**" He flung his arms back with his fingers in a claw while snarling towards the still broken Hajime, "**But I'm not finished with you...!**"

Naruto jumped high into the air, throwing the killed roots of Hajime to his sides. He descended down quickly with his palm and claws aimed down to the helpless Grass ninja, as he looked up in terror being unable to gather himself to move, "_No...! He'll kill me, no doubt!_" Naruto glared down growling, as the image of the Nine Tails' fox flashed in front of him in Hajime's eyes. "NOO!" Hajime screamed, holding his arms up in a terrified fashion upon seeing the image of the Nine Tails', "Leave me alone! I'M SORRY!"

A figure flashed in between them in a blink of an eye, as the echoing of a woman's voice rang through the air, "(Wind Element: Wind Slash Barrage Technique) Huton: Kaze Kai Renda no Jitsu!"

Naruto didn't have any time to react, and was pounded by a series of white wind blasts, knocking him back farther with every blow. The final blast broke his defenses and sent him back in throbbing in pain, as he slammed back first into the ground.

Hajime looked up at the figure in front of him, and saw the back of his jounin's green robe, as she stood in front of him holding out the final seal of her technique, while breathing heavily. She calmly spoke out to Hajime without turning, "...I told you to avoid this boy at all costs... you are neither the level, nor brave enough to combat the Nine Tails' at this time..."

Hajime rose up with his head hung low, "I... I didn't..."

"Know...? You almost died, Hajime... and I used all of my chakra to stop that boy's attack. We were lucky this time..." She turned quietly, showing her green hair, coming out of her open hood. "But don't foul up again... next time I wont be there to help you."

Hajime looked down in shame, "...Yes Otsu-sensei..."

Otsu shifted turning towards both Hajime and Kimie, "...You two, lets go now... Before that boy wakes." Hajime nods in compliance, and crosses his arms with his eyes closed shut. Otsu lifts her arm, and drops a small smoke bomb in between her and Hajime. The smoke erupts enclosing them both, as the two retreated swiftly.

Kimie remained, still standing over Sakura, looking over towards Naruto with guilt in her eyes, "_...I'm sorry... cutie..._" She threw down a smoke bomb of her own, and departed as well with her team.

Sakura remained on her knees, struggling to build up the strength to stand. She forced herself to her feet, and looked in the direction of Naruto with left over tears at the base of her eyes. "...Naruto..." She stumbled and staggered over to the significantly battered Naruto, dropping to her knees by his side. Sakura pulled all Naruto's collar trying to get his attention, "Naruto! Wake up!" She noticed that his head was limply moving around as she pulled, and she began to sob, "Naruto, please...!"

"...don't... cry... Sakura-chan..." She looked up to his face quickly, and spotted his eyes. His eyes were partially opened, and a glassy blue, as he rolled then into Sakura's direction. "...Did... did I win...? Did I... save you...?"

Sakura looked down, and smiled as she began to cry happily, "Of course you did..." She dove down at him, holding him as she cried.

Naruto just looked straight up to the sky, "...I'm glad."

------

Tsunade slammed her fist down to the counter top, "What do you mean they attacked you?!"

Sakura pulled back in fear, with her scratches from the fight earlier still visible, "They... came out of no where and started fighting Naruto... going off about the Nine Tails' or something..."

Tsunade lashed back upon hearing about what Sakura had to tell her, "_...Naruto... the Nine Tails'? What the hell is going on now..._?" Tsunade walked around the counter and bent down to Sakura, "...We need to keep this to ourselves Sakura."

She looked back up in surprise, "What...Why?"

Tsunade looked back with all seriousness, "I don't want to draw a panic around here... I want the people to continue on with the festival."

Sakura understood, and nodded in affirmation. Tsunade leaned forward in appreciation, and turned to leave her office to continue her public duties. Sakura, without turning back to the departing Tsunade uttered in a concerned tone, "...They almost killed him... they said he got in the way of their plans..."

Tsunade halted, and turned back slightly, "I know how worried you are, Sakura... but don't worry... Naruto won't go that easily... he's a fighter."

Sakura looked down to the ground thinking about what she'd do if he ever got hurt. Tsunade left the room, looking back at Sakura with concern and guilt. She left through the doorway, and leaned against the wall right outside, sighing sadly. "_She's worrying like I used to whenever Dan went out on his missions. That poor girl... I understand how she feels..._" She punched her fist determinedly, "_...but I need to know what's going on... right now..._"

-----

Naruto was sitting up in his bed, eating a large bowl of Ramen that Kakashi brought him during his visit. Naruto was happy and goofy as usual, with band aids suck around his face and arms. When he finished the bowl, he placed the bowl and chopsticks on the nightstand next to him, and smiled heartily, "Thank you Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi stood up tall, arching his eyebrows up happily, "It's no problem Naruto, just get better as soon as possible so you can enjoy the fair, alright?"

Naruto flung his wounded arm out giving thumbs up without thinking, "Yup!" His face quickly jolted flat again, when he realized he moved his wounded arm, "AHHH!" He flew up screaming, "...Damn it! That hurts!"

Kakashi shook his head in comical distress, as Sasuke sat in the back corner in a large armchair, staring towards the flailing Naruto. "_What an idiot..._" Sasuke shot his head over towards the door of Naruto's room, where a banging began to bellow from it.

Kakashi looked over as well, and walked over to answer the door. He opened the door to see who was there, "Oh, Sakura-chan! Come to see Naruto?" Sasuke heard who it was and arched his eyebrows downward slowly as he grunted to himself.

Sakura walked through, and looked at the energetic Naruto with her hands curled up happily while blushing with a smile on her face. "_He's happy again... he's back to his old self..._"

"Hey! Sakura-chan, I feel better already, thanks to you!" He sat up in his bed laughing cheerfully, like nothing had gone wrong earlier that day. Sakura walked over silently, and sat down at his bed. She then grabbed his head and kissed him tenderly, interrupting his laughter.

Kakashi's eyebrow rose up in surprise, as Sasuke still sat in the back corner. He clinched his hand tightly, and narrowed his eyes with spite. "_Damn it..._"

Kakashi began to chuckle, "Aren't you two quite the couple... eh?" Naruto and Sakura parted and both looked up to Kakashi, blushing nervously. Naruto rubbed the back of his head as usual, as Sakura just avoided eye contact with everyone by staring down at the ground.

------

The festival continued as if nothing had happened, and the genin who were suspected of attacks were back to being ordinary festival goers.

Tsunade went to the Konoha prison ward underneath the village in the sewer systems, where she was going to question the sound ninja from the fight earlier with Naizen and Benjiro.

When Tsunade came into the room, she blasted the door to his interrogation room down with her savage strength, with a piercing look of intimidation in her eyes. The sound ninja looked back in terror, slightly apprehensive about speaking with Tsunade.

She slowly sat down in the chair across the tabled from him, and crossed her legs with her eyes still locked onto the ninja with intimidation. She sat there motionless with an unchanging expression, while the ninja looked around all fidgety-like. She took a deep breath, "...Why did you come here... who sent you... and why..."

The ninja sat angrily, and unwisely failed to answer her question, "None of you're business old lady! Why should I tell you anything, you can kiss my ASS!"

Tsunade didn't move from her position, as she continued to stare emotionlessly. The ninja was still leaned forward from his comments, so he pulled back and crossed his arms stubbornly. She inched forward slowly in her chair, then suddenly smashed her fist down, blasting through the table. The sound ninja lashed back in shock, before Tsunade lashed her arm forward, yanking him close to her fuming face. "You listen here... you either tell me what I want to know... or your back and this table will have something in common..."

The sound ninja stared back in fear, "...O... ok... I will..." he said with sweat running down his face.

After she was finished, the jounin took him out to put him back into his cell. Tsunade came out hanging her head down, and turned her head to the departing ninja prisoner. "_This is bad... a sound ninja... who knew my age even with my technique. Something must be happening in those other countries... I've got to find out what exactly... I must see Orochimaru_"

------

Sakura cheerfully walked down the side street during the second day of the festival, despite the rough start yesterday. She held a small box in one hand, and a small daffodil in the other. While walking down past many stands, she spotted the same cart she stopped by with Naruto. Sakura stepped up to the counter, and peered over to the stuffed frogs on the back of the display. She remembered the frog that Naruto had worked so hard to win and smiled happily, before she was interrupted from behind.

Ino shoved Shikamaru into the counter chest first, giggling, "Shikamaru! Win one for me pleassssseee?!"

Shikamaru stood up straight rubbing his chest, "Alright, alright... man..." He reached into his pocket and put some money onto the counter, "...could I have a shot at this?"

The vendor smiled, holding his hand out to the platform next to him, "Right here my boy!"

Ino bounced up slapping her hands together in excitement, "C'mon Shikamaru! You can do it sweetie!"

Shikamaru looked away from her, rolling his eyes with the mallet over his shoulder, "_Bah... with the cutsie nick-names again..._" He positioned himself, and looked down at the platform peculiarly. Shikamaru stood back and clubbed the platform, sending the pin upward, but short of the bell up top. He put down the mallet, and turned around shrugging his shoulders, "Oh well... off to the next stand."

Ino looked back palely, "...You stink Shikamaru..."

Sakura sat up confidently, and smirked boldly with her eyes shut, "...Naruto won one of those for me..." Ino froze up, and turned very slowly. Now that Sakura had her attention, she cruelly smiled, "He's the BEST kare ever..."

Ino shot up waving her fist at Sakura angrily. She then shot around pointing at Shikamaru spastically, "You're going to win me one of those!"

Shikamaru counted his money, and looked up reluctantly, "But I don't have too much money left, and I don't want to use it to..."

"NOW!" she screamed waving her fist violently.

Shikamaru curled back in fear, looking at the money clinched in his hand. He sighed sadly, closing his eyes and sliding the money he had in his hand across the counter. "_...This blows..._"

Sakura giggled and turned away from the game stand, "Good luck Shikamaru!" She looked down at the small box and flower, and smiled brightly, "I still have to get this to Naruto!"

Shikamaru heard her, and retrieved his money from the table. He turned back to Ino with his eyes shut and had an edgy smile, "Heh! Maybe we should go with her to see Naruto?!" Shikamaru laughed nervously, and walked by her with his hands behind his head.

Ino stomped on the ground and whined, "Whatever! Let's go then you jerk!" Ino crossed her arms and huffed with disappointment, following Shikamaru and Sakura towards Naruto's place.

------

Rock Lee and Tenten decided they should go through the festival together for the day. Tenten insisted that they drag Neji along too, though. The three walked through the village center, with Tenten affectionately attached to Lee's arm, and Neji veered off, separately to the side.

Neji had his arms crossed, looking at everything with a livid pair of white eyes, "_This is so stupid... I don't even want to be here._" He glanced over to Lee and Tenten, who were acting like a cheesy couple, all holding each other and whatnot. Neji glared while frowning, "_especially with these two..._"

Tenten looked over smiling, "Oh c'mon Neji, cheer up!" She nudged him in the shoulder, "...Let's do something around here, you and me!" She left Rock Lee's side, as he looked in surprise, and grabbed Neji's hand, dragging him along with her.

Tenten stopped in front of a huge Ferris wheel the Jounin built for the festival, and pointed up to it, "Let's go on this thing!"

Neji turned his head back towards her, with his eyes shut, "I don't go on rides."

Tenten dropped her arms and sighed, then starting moping around, "Oh... ok, its fine, we can do something else."

Neji opened his eyes, and saw how bummed out Tenten was, and rolled his eyes, "...Fine.... I'll go on this stupid thing."

Tenten shot up in excitement, and ripped Neji towards the ride, "Thank you Neji! Let's go!" Neji just stumbled in shock as she dragged him to the counter of the ride. Rock lee stood in the background, crossing his arms skeptically.

Tenten runs up to one of the booths, and jumps in enthusiastically, as Neji snails in lacking interest. The wheel moves forward to the next empty booth, triggering Rock Lee to do a ninja roll right in front of it. He slips into the empty booth surreptitiously, and peaks over the edge of the front to get a good view of Neji and Tenten, "_...What are they doing?_"

Neji leaned against the panel on his side propping his head up with his forearm, looking away from Tenten, "...This is dull... Why'd we do this again?"

Tenten looked down sadly, "I don't know... I wanted to cheer you up somehow..."

"...and this was supposed to help me... how?"

Tenten leaned forward, clinching her hands together, "...Why are you so mean to me anyways..." Neji twitches in shock, and turns back slowly to the despondent Tenten. "I try to help you with your training all the time... I cheer you on while you fight... I try to make you happy... and you're always treating me the same always." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "...do you really hate me that much?"

Neji cringed, as he looked over the edge of the booth noticing they were nowhere close to the end of the ride, "_Damn it... I can't get out of here._" He looked up to her, "It's not that... It's just..."

"Just what?! What should I change... so that you'd like me...?"

Neji looked back at her with guilt in his eyes, so he looked away at the floor of the booth, "...Don't change anything about yourself... Sometimes... you shouldn't care if someone likes you or not."

Tenten pulled back with a pained look in her face. She jerked her face away from him to hide her tears, while he watched her unemotionally. He turned away from her, and peered over the edge sighing heavily.

Suddenly the ride halted to a stop, startling everyone on the ride, including Tenten, Neji, and Rock Lee hiding in the previous booth. Neji flung himself hanging over the edge to inspect what was wrong, and saw that everyone on the road beneath them was running around frantically, screaming.

Tenten turned to Neji frightened grabbing his arm, "What's going on...?!"

Neji continued to look over all the edges, trying to find a good view point, "I don't know..."

Rock Lee leaped over to the booth Tenten and Neji were in, from his and crouched at the edge of it with a look of gravity, "Neji... this is bad..." He looked down from his perch to the road below, "You feel that right?"

Neji stared up at him, unleashing his Byakugan, "...Of course I do..."

Tenten sat in her seat, switching from Lee to Neji in confusion and apprehension, "What!? Tell me, what is it!"

Neji continues looking around using his Byakugan to track someone, "...There is an enemy in town... they're down below..."

Tenten pulled back, "Enemy...? Now?!"

Neji's eyes suddenly widened and he twitched his head up, "Lee! Tenten! Let's go!"

Lee nodded towards Neji, and the two flipped off the edge, and out of the booth. Tenten flung herself over in pursuit, "Wait!"

The three descended to the ground from the top of the Ferris wheel, as the wind blustered through their clothes. When the reached the ground, they all landed in a crouch looking around cautiously as they rose up from the ground with their backs to each other.

Tenten gasped suddenly as she looked over to the entrance to the Ferris wheel. She ran over and bent down to the seemingly badly injured vendor. "Sir! Are you ok?" She lifted her hands after touching his body trying to help him, and saw her hands were covered in blood. Her pupils grew thin, as she looked down and saw the five kunai jetting out of his back. "Neji! Lee!" She pushed herself back in horror at the sight of the dead vendor. She curled up against the gate and started flowing with tears, "...Why..."

Lee and Neji both ran up and recoiled when they saw the deceased man laying there before her. Lee looked down in panic, "This... this is bad..."

Neji looked left and right trying to pick up any people nearby. He looked around baffled, "...Where the hell did everyone go?"

Lee opened the gate and screamed as he fell back in a stumble, "They... They..." Neji jerked around and ran into view of the doorway with Tenten close behind him, and dropped his mouth open at what he saw. "...They're all dead!"

The road was covered with the bodies of villagers who had been slaughtered. Neji looked around clinching his teeth, "_What the hell... they were all fine before we jumped down... who could kill everyone so quickly... who is this monster...?_" Neji lashed around pointing at Tenten, who was still in shock from the slaughtered villagers, "Tenten... you need to help the people on the ride still get down... and take them out around the back..."

Tenten looked back in a terrified fashion, "O... o...ok." She walked over slowly to the Ferris wheel's chain mechanism, and threw the handle with her hand shaking, to continue the ride, so the people could get off.

Neji turned to Lee, pointing to him, "You... you come with me and find these people..."

Rock Lee looked back unenthusiastically, "Alright..." He looked out at all the dead villagers, noticing some children who had made their final cling to their parent's arm before dying themselves, which enraged him. He flew up and pumped his fist angrily, "Let's find this monster, Neji..."

Neji nodded to him, smirking at Lee's new incentive to fight, "Let's..." The two walked out in slow motion through the road strewn with victims, looking around disgusted, desiring to meet the culprits of these crimes.

Lee looked forward, swallowing deeply at the sights around him, "_The fun is over now... Someone has broken the peace we had here once again... and now... the fight begins._"


	4. Who's Our Enemy?

Section 4: Who is Our Enemy?

Shikamaru sat in the armchair in Naruto's room, slumped forward in an exhausted fashion. Ino suddenly bounds over the arm rest, landing heavily into his lap laughing, "Wake up Shika-baby, hehe."

Shikamaru groaned hopelessly as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down with him in the chair giving her kisses on her cheek, and yelling jokingly, "You little brat!"

The injured Naruto watched with Sakura next to him by his bed, as he looked over to her grinning embarrassed, "I'm sorry I can't do any of that, Sakura-chan. I promise when I get better, I'll make it up to..."

Sakura turned to him smiling and shot in for a kiss before he could finish. She pulled back still smiling and blushing, "Don't worry, Naruto, just promise me you'll get better!"

Naruto nodded pleasantly, and moved his arm around to see if he could move it anymore than he could before. He flexed and extended his fingers to give them a stretch.

Sakura sat next to the bed, with the package she had laying by her feet. She looked down at it, and back up to Naruto nervously, "_Should I give it to him now...? Yea!_" She reached down and brought up the box very slowly, trying not to attract attention. "Naruto..."

He looked up with a baffled face on, "Ah-reh?"

She slipped the package into his lap quickly, and looked away with embarrassment. "That's for you..."

Naruto peered down at the box, and blew up in laughter, "Alright! I love gifts!" He rabidly tore open the box, and pulled out two smaller boxes. Naruto chose the bigger one first, and popped off the cover ecstatically. He stopped and reached in pulling up a necklace, with a small locket attached to it. A big grin popped onto his face, as he flipped it open, exposing a picture of him being stupid on one side, and Sakura being cute as usual on the other. Naruto stood up in his bed screaming, "Oooo!" He locked the chain around his neck and fixed the locket's position on his neck, while standing up proudly, "This is never coming off from now on! I promise Sakura-chan!"

Sakura leaned forward happily turning beet red, staring at Naruto lovingly, "_...It looks so good on him, I'm glad he likes it!_" She retrieved the smaller box on the bed, and tried to get Naruto's attention, before everyone was startled by a large and frantic pounding on the door. She put the box away when she heard the banging.

Shikamaru moved Ino over and headed over to the door, and opened it to catch a bloodied Choji. Shikamaru looked down, petrified, "Choji! What the hell happened to you?!"

Shikamaru collapsed to the floor, lowering Choji as well as he wearily uttered, "...attacked... killed... the village..."

Everyone shot over, including Naruto from his bed, and called out his name, "Choji!"

Shikamaru leaned down yelling, "Choji! What do you mean? Who's killed?!"

Sakura curled back in fear, "_...The Grass Genin...?_" She looked down at the ground sadly, "_...I told Tsunade-sama that I would keep it to myself though..._" She stood up quickly and grabbed bandages out of her bag.

After she had patched up Choji's wounds, Naruto moved so that Choji could lie down while he recuperated. Ino and Shikamaru stood at his side distraughtly, sticking close to their partner and friend.

Sakura turned back, to see Naruto finishing getting dressed in his orange uniform. Her eyes widened as she lashed out at him, "Naruto! You aren't going out, are you?!"

Naruto looked up at her in a serious tone, "I'm going to find whoever did that to Choji... and kick their ass..."

She stands in between him and his door, blocking him off, "Naruto! You aren't healed yet! I can't let you..."

Naruto interrupted her in the middle of her pleading, "...Don't get in my way Sakura-chan... I'm going to do this, so don't worry..." She drops her arms down feebly, and looks down to the ground. He ties his head protector on with an intense tug, as he looked forward angrily.

"Naruto..." She begins to get teary, "...I don't want to see you hurt again..."

Naruto lightened up, and smiled reassuringly while patting her shoulder, "Oh, Sakura-chan... trust me! I'll kick some ass, you'll see! Plus, I got your locket here with me to keep me safe, I'll be fine, ok?"

Sakura inhaled deeply, and smiled back, "Just promise me... you'll be ok..."

Shikamaru shot up, and walked over to Naruto's side, "Don't worry Sakura... me and Naruto will be fine."

Ino stood up with concern, "You're going too Shikamaru...?"

Shikamaru looked at Choji, who still lay on the bed helplessly, then looked up to Ino with a large frown on his face, "I have to... They're going to hurt someone else if we don't find them..."

Ino fired forward, "Then I'm coming too!"

Shikamaru looked her in the eyes, "...No." She pulled back in disbelief and rejection. "You need to stay with Choji... be there when he wakes up."

Ino looked down to the ground in distress, "...but... What if you got hurt...?"

Naruto fired forward, "Ha hah!" He flung his arm back showing off, pointing to Shikamaru with his thumb, "Ino-chan, like I'd let this guy get hurt! That'd make me look bad! Nothing's going to happen to him, I'll protect him!"

Shikamaru glares over to Naruto with his eyes narrowed and his eyebrow twitching, "_Protect me my ass... I'll have to protect myself from you, ass..._"

Ino smiled with relief, "You promise...?

"C'mon Ino-chan!" He gives her a thumb up with a confident smile on his face, "This is Uzumaki Naruto you're talking to! I always keep my word, that's my ninja way, remember?!"

Ino smiled, and jumped forward wrapping her arms around Naruto's neck for a hug, "Thank you Naruto!" She closes her eyes happily, and leans her head on his should, "_...Man... I feel all warm and tingly inside..._"

Naruto returns his part of the hug, and wraps his arms around her torso, "_Oooo... Ino smells really nice..._"

Sakura looked over smiling pleasantly, but as the hug grew a little long, her smile began to dissolve. She continued to watch as she grew irritated, twitching in anger. She stepped forward and pulled their shoulders apart, "Ok, ok that's enough! You have your own kare to hug!" Ino chuckled, with her arms crossed and her eyes shut confidently. Sakura waved her fist angrily in front of Ino, "What's so funny?!"

Ino opened her eyes, and leaned forward smugly, "Are you jealous that Naruto liked hugging me so much, Sakura?!"

Sakura froze up at the insinuations made by Ino, as Shikamaru glanced over scornfully to Naruto with his eyes opened thin, "...Yea, you seemed to enjoy that hug Naruto... a little too much..."

"Ah-reh?!" Naruto whipped back towards Shikamaru nervously waving his arms in front of him, "It's not like that, Shikamaru! Ha hah... hah..."

Shikamaru whipped his had upward in a fed up fashion, "Whatever, let's get going... we've got to catch up to those guys."

Naruto stood up tall, punching up in the air above his head, "Alright! Let's go kick some ass!"

------

Shino and Romi were running around through the panic in the streets, trying to figure out what was going on. Villagers were all running down the street in the same direction, as if they were running away from something.

Shino stopped, grabbing Romi to hold her still. She shot up, and looked at him frightened, "What's going on Shino?!"

He looked down the road to where the people were running from, with sweat running down his face, "I don't know..." He noticed that the crowd was thinning out, and he could now see through it down the road. Three figures were approaching very slowly, followed by booms, slams, and crashes. Shino looked towards them in horror, knowing who those figures were.

Romi grabbed onto Shino's jacket when she noticed that everyone had run by, and that they were the only people left in front of the figures ahead, "...Shino! What do we do?!"

Shino quickly grabbed Romi's arm, and jerked her arm, pulling her towards the side of the road, "Come here! Come with me!" He pushed her into a small and dark niche, and put his arms onto her shoulders to get her attention, "Look... you stay her, ok?"

Romi looked back with her mouth hanging open, "...What?!...Shino! No! They'll kill you!"

Shino shook her to regain her attention, "Listen! Stay down... please!"

Romi shot forward hysterically, "Shino! I can't!" She began to cry in fear to the idea of Shino getting hurt or possibly even killed.

Shino pulled her close to console her with the time he had, "Romi... I love you, ok? I'll be ok, I promise, just stay down!"

She continued to cry while clinging to his jacket, "...Shino...!" He pulled away slowly, and then shot out to the middle of the road to meet the three men, as she watched helplessly with tears pouring out from underneath her glasses.

Shino stood in the middle of the road, sweating profusely, "_Man, I'm an idiot...!_" He swallowed nervously, as the three people came into view with their arms crossed.

The three appeared to be ninjas, except they wore blank head protectors, which had caught Shino's eye. He noticed they had been filed down though, so he assumed that these ninjas were trying to hide their identities.

One ninja, the shorter of the two guys, had a black hardhat with a small light attached to it. His outfit was an oversized black jumpsuit, which seemed to be rigged with a large set of scrolls all across his chest and arms. He also had a gas mask on, along with red tinted safety goggles which looked more like glasses rather than Naizen's.

The middle ninja was a woman, taller than the first on her right, who seemed to be lacking femininity. She had short blonde hair, which was spiked back wildly as if she had been electrocuted, and had noticeable blue braids running down the front of her head, all the way down to her hips. She wore a black hooded cape on over her typical powder blue fighting suit that resembled most ninjas' outfits. Her blank protector was strapped around her waist, as a belt though.

The ninja to the far left was seemingly short at first, but he was just crawling on all fours similar to a monkey. His long dark gray hair covered most of his face, as he crawled along clawing the dirt as he advanced. His arms had large slits across them though, like his skin was cut open: one on each of his shoulders, three on his upper arms, and two more on his forearms. He wore a black muscle shirt, with dark blue shorts that seemed to be frayed at the bases from being overused. His head protector was also tied around his waist as a belt.

Shino stood still, continuing his eye contact with the trio, as they continued up to him. He noticed the ninja with the hardhat, yanking one of the scrolls from his suit, and blooding it with his thumb. He took a step back and braced himself for an attack, "_Here we go..._"

The woman ninja flung her arm back and caught the arm of the short ninja that was holding the scroll. "No Go... I want to have some fun..."

The ninja, presumably named Go according to Shino, looked away and huffed, speaking through his mask, "...Fine Ryo..." He looked away, and threw the scroll back to the side of him a long way. When the scroll hit the ground, it erupted in a blaze, demolishing the houses on the side of the road.

Shino flung back, holding his arms up defensively, "_Wow... What power packed into those scrolls... it far exceeds the explosion note..._"

The three stood still as the blast beat on their backs, and they laughed at Shino's reaction, "You're weak aren't you bug boy?" Shino arches his eyebrow in surprise towards the Ryo girl, "...Yes, we know who you are... we know you all very well..."

Shino clinched his hands tightly, "_What? Who the hell are these ninja?! How do they know us?_" The ninja on the far right began to bounce up and down, clacking two stones together wildly while grunting and moaning.

Go glanced over to the ninja looking annoyed, "Why the hell did we have to drag that basket case along with us anyways."

Ryo twitched her head back to Go and sighed, "I don't know, Arata isn't very useful indeed..."

Shino looked over to Arata with confusion, and was baffled by his behavior, but was still aware of his power nonetheless. Shino shot up to the apparent leader in Ryo, and yelled to her, "What are you doing here?!"

Ryo smiled smugly, and tilted her head back, "We came to send you leaf a little message, and right now..." She pointed out towards him, "...it's you're turn bug boy!"

Romi watched helplessly front the niche in the building side, as she panicked quietly to herself, "_Shino! Run please!_"

Shino stood up tall in front of them, and lifted his arms to allow the bugs to crawl their way out from his body. The slowly began to cover his arms fully, and started making their way around the base of his feet.

Ryo looked towards him, still smiling wickedly, and then turned her head towards Go, "Hey... this is the bug thing he does, right?" Go just huffed arrogantly in response, while Ryo just turned her head back to Shino, "...not really that impressive if you ask me..."

Shino's eyebrows arched up as he was startled by their defamations, "_These guys..._"

Ryo stared him down with her arms crossed, "You brought it right Go?"

Go tore off one of his attached scrolls from his chest and held it out in front of him, "Of course I did..."

Ryo began to step back with her eyes closed and an evil smile on her face, "Then you take it from here... C'mon Arata, come with me..." Arata turned back quickly, and hopped over with her far behind the still poised Go.

Go built himself a stance and unrolled the scroll, which was just over a foot long. He sliced his thumb on a small blade on his mask, and used it to draw a line across the center of the scroll. Shino braced himself, and readied his insects to defend for an explosion like he observed earlier. Go looked at him and huffed haughtily, holding the image on the scroll out. The image in the middle began to build a small green hole that leaked a green smoke.

Shino recoiled at the realization, "_Oh no!_" A green smog blasted Shino before he had the time to react, the green smog that originated from the hole in the center of Go's scroll that is.

Romi shot up with tears running from under her glasses, "_SHINO!_"

Shino shot out from the cloud and landed farther behind it coughing and wheezing from the cloud of smog. "_Damn... that was close... why was that poison so weak though?_" He stood back up and waited for the cloud to clear.

Shino heard Ryo from behind the cloud laughing, "Nice job, Go... it worked perfectly!"

Shino popped up in confusion, "_What? But I'm completely fine..._" Then Shino gasped when the smog cleared away from him.

Romi gasped as well when she saw what had happened, "_Oh no! Shino!_"

Shino looked in horror down at the ground in front of him. "...Imp...Impossible." All across the dirt road lay a mess of Shino's poisoned bugs. "_The smog... wasn't even meant for me... and now... my body has the poison in my blood... I cant reproduce the bugs until it's flushed out... shit..._"

Go began to laugh through his gas mask, "What'd you think I was going to kill you like that? I want to be able to enjoy killing you thoroughly, which is why I got rid of those pesky bugs for you." Shino clinched his hand nervously, knowing the severity of the situation, "Now how will you fight now bug boy?" Go launched himself towards Shino, "...Well let's see then!"

Shino pulled out one of his kunai and built a defensive position. Go appeared before him, and they clashed kunai violently with a large spark. Shino stepped back, and threw three more kunai in Go's direction, which were easily brushed off by the small ninja.

"Pshh... I'm disappointed bug boy..." Shino looked up still after throwing the kunai up at him, but couldn't move from shock. Go grabbed his jacket quickly before he could react, and jerked him up towards him. With Shino plunging up toward him, he socked Shino directly in his gut, followed by a swift knee to his face, sending him helplessly to the ground with blood leaking from his mouth.

Romi fell to her knees right inside the niche, falling down her hands in distress. "_I... I can't sit here..._" Shino fell to the ground from a continued beating from Go. Go walked over to him, and began to kick him while he was down. "_I... I need to do something!_"

Go picks up the battered Shino up by his jacket, chuckling arrogantly, "You aren't much without your bugs are you? Humph... too bad..." He raises his hand threateningly, and clinches his fist, as Shino twitches in his attempts to move. "I won't enjoy killing you this way... but this is boring anyways... good bye bug... huh?" He turns his head to the side to see Romi flying towards him, "_a bug girl?!_"

"Leave him alone!!!" Romi connects a mammoth punch right onto the side of Go's face, rattling his mask and knocking off his goggles as he is scorched into and through a building wall. The smoke filled the side of the wall, as Ryo hung her head in disappointment.

"Go... you moron... you were careless not to notice that girl..."

Romi jerked her head back to Ryo in shock, "_She... knew I was there?_"

Shino looked up from the ground and Romi, as she stood above him in his defense. "...R...Romi... Just... run..."

She remained still standing over him, letting her red bugs out of her body, "No Shino... I can't leave you... I love you too much." Shino looks up surprised by what she said, "...and I'll do whatever I need to... to protect you."

Ryo stands there with her eyebrows arched downward, but with a smile as well, "Humph... admirable... but you're a fool... you should take your kare's advice bug girl."

Go crawls out of the hole he was punched through, fixing his mask with a look of rage in his now exposed eyes, "Damn it, I should kill you slowly for that..."

Ryo turns to him in a condescending manner, "Shut up idiot... you let yourself get it... just get another one of your scrolls and take care of her quickly."

Go stands up straight, feeling offended, "...Yah whatever." He reached around on his arsenal, checking each scroll one by one. "Damn it... I think I only brought one..."

Ryo sighs heavily, "You really are an idiot, aren't you... Well then get out of my way... I'll take care of her then..."

Go huffs angrily, "Fine... make it fast then, I don't want to be bored." He leaned down, and picked his goggles up and put them back on after dusting them meticulously.

Romi stood there, with red bugs swirling all the way up her body and around her arms. "Don't treat me like an easy fight."

Ryo looks over with an amused expression, "Oh?! And why not? You bug people aren't anything special! Why should I worry about you?"

"...because I'm not just any normal bug user..."

Shino looked up from his wounded and prone position, up at Romi in wonder. "_What is she talking about...?_" He looked at her red bugs and wondered about them as she stood there over him still.

"...I'm an advanced user... a baguutatsujin... (Bug Master –note: I do NOT know Japanese, so don't burn me for it-)"

Shino's eyebrows launched up in astonishment, "_A baguutatsujin?!... My dad... told me about them... why didn't she tell me before...?_"

Ryo stood there with a change in expression, "...and what the hell does that mean to me? I'll still beat you." She lifted her arm, and snapped her fingers with a smile on her face.

Suddenly, Romi felt a tugging from her leg and head. She planted her feet, but she began to get dragged across the dirt. "_What's going on?!_" Her kunai pouch came loose and flew towards Ryo, who caught it laughing confidently. Romi's headband also came off and flew towards her as well.

Ryo laughed more as she caught Romi's head protector, "Now that you don't have any weapons or armor, I think we can begin, no?"

Romi positioned herself defensively, "_What happened? How'd she take my stuff? Did she use magnetism?! ... That would make her..._"

"Damn it... I guess you figured it out bug girl." She reached into her pocket and pulled out another head protector. She ripped away the blank protector and threw it down to the ground.

As Ryo tied the new protector, Romi looked in shock as she noticed the symbol on the plate. It was the symbol for the Hidden Cloud Village, and the only thing Romi could think about was the ninja she saw earlier that day. Romi shot forward in shock, "...You... you mean you're with..."

"Naizen? You mean you met him, and you're still alive eh?" Ryo laughed assertively, "...He'd destroy this entire village if he weren't on a leash."

Romi looked back in horror, "_...So... he is the enemy... He'll destroy Konoha if we don't do something..._"

Ryo smiles smugly, "Well, why don't you attack me? I know you want to."

Romi breaks out in a sweat, "_What?! She knows what I'm thinking?!_"

"Of course I do... your brain gives off electric signals... which I can pick up easily... as you can see I've mastered telepathy and telekinesis... so you're going to have your hands full bug girl."

Romi took her stance, letting the insects, tail off from her arms. "...We'll see..."

Ryo looked back smiling, "Yea right... we'll see..." Ryo shot forward, running across the dirt path towards Romi, with her arms hung back in a wind up. "Let's begin already!"

Romi focused on Ryo's movements, and read them easily, preparing to counter with her bugs around her arms, "_I've got her...!_" Romi shot a cloud of bugs forward at the oncoming ninja, but Ryo just smiled back complacently. Within a blink of an eye, she vanished before the bugs could reach her, "_What?! Where'd she..._" Romi panicked and turned her head to the side, to see Ryo with her back to her.

Ryo wrapped around in slow motion, "...Too easy bug girl..." She lashed her leg around and blasted her foot into Romi's ribs, making Romi arch her body in pain before being rolling across the dirt vulnerably.

Romi pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, and suddenly coughed up blood with a grimace across her face. "_Damn it... how did she react so quickly..._"

"Hello?! You forget that I have telepathy silly ninja? You can't do anything without me knowing ahead of time! I guess that means you lose already, hmm?"

Romi stands up, with anxiety in her eyes, "_Damn... what am I going to do then..._" Romi's eyebrows suddenly rose up with insight, drawing her to stand up tall with a smirk on her face and the blood still leaking from the corner of her mouth.

Ryo looked back a little confused, "What the hell are you laughing about? What plan have you thought up now?" Ryo smiled arrogantly, "I'll just sense what you're doing before you do it anyways!" Ryo laughed confidently, until she grew silently slowly, "...What? ...What'd you do...?"

Romi stood tall, as her bugs slowly made their way to the ground in front of her, coving the floor and all leaving her. She grinned confidently, "I just directed them to combat you on their own regard... and last time I checked... a bugs electrical signals are way too weak to pick up... even for a ninja like yourself."

Shino looked at her in shock, "_...She... she can have them fight without direction... but how!?_"

Ryo lashed back, "You!" She took a few defensive strides back in intimidation. The bugs approached slowly as she looked down in horror, "_I never had to use my reaction abilities before! I've always been able to sense an enemy's movements! I... I'll be beaten by these bugs if I don't do something!_" The bugs flew forward towards her, "NO!" The bugs flying towards her drew her to panic and swipe her kunai through them, sending them flying around. She turned around and looked up with a gasp, "_Oh no!_" A band of insects came from above and splashed across her back and cape.

Ryo began screaming in terror as flailed her arms around, flinging bugs around off of her body, as she ripped her cape off, which was also covered in bugs. She back pedaled frantically, falling backwards in a panic, "Get them away! Get them away!" Tears of fear began building under her eyes, due to her uncertainty in the fight that she had never really felt before.

Go watched from afar with his arms crossed, "_Stupid Ryo... she's lost her cool because she doesn't know what's going on anymore... She's lost._" He flew across to Ryo and grabbed her hand, "We've lost bug girl... we're leaving... Arata! Come!" He looked back over to Romi with hatred in his eyes, "...I'll be back... in the name of the Hidden Rock Village, I'll return to beat you..."

Romi became startled at the realization, "_...The Hidden Rock Village..._" An image of Benjiro scrolled across her mind, "_...him too then..._"

Go threw down a smoke bomb in front of the shattered Ryo, and vanished with her out of sight.

Romi stood still, as the bugs marched out of the cloud of smoke, and back into her body. She noticed from a distance that Arata still remained, crouched on the ground still. He tilted his head questionably, exposing a small view of his face. Romi looked in slight shock when she saw his eye, which was completely black. He groaned, and chuckled sinisterly, before her shot against the wall, and began climbing the sides of the buildings off into the distance.

Romi sighed in relief, and she collapsed to a W position on the ground. The bugs finished going into the holes in her neck, and she glanced around after gathering herself. She saw Shino struggling to raise himself, off to her left, "Shino!" She stood up and ran over to him, pulling him up carefully, "...Shino."

He continued to avoid eye contact with her as he looked away shamefully, "...I'm a lot weaker than you, aren't I Romi..." Romi gasped slightly, and then looked down to the ground with guilt, "...I did a pitiful job of protecting you... I'm sorry."

Romi pulled Shino towards her, and kissed him without warning. As they were kissing, red insects leaked out of her neck, finding their way into the small holes in his cheek. She pulled away with small tears running down her face, "I... I love you Shino... and you were great in protecting me... don't ever say such things..." She took her finger and caressed the holes on his cheek, "I gave you some of my bugs just now... they should help you from now on..."

Shino looked back with amazement, and then relaxed himself, "...Romi... thank you..."


	5. The Demands Are Made

Section 5: The Demands Are Made

"_What should I do? I've been running all over town, but I can't fix anything!_" Tsunade stopped in the road in a screeching halt, as Kurenai tagged ran up right behind her with a panicked look on her face.

"Tsunade-sama?! What should we do?!"

Tsunade looked around as the people, who were supposed to be celebrating, ran around in a complete panic. "_Damn it... I should have announced a warning... What was I thinking!?_" She lashed around and punched through the stone bench next to her in frustration.

Kurenai looked back in concern and compassion, "...Tsunade-sama..."

Tsunade turned her head to Kurenai quickly, "You get these people out of here right away!" She turned her head forward once again, "...I have some business to take care of..."

Kurenai looked at her, aware of what she meant, and nodded in confirmation "Yes ma'am!" She turned around quickly, yelling towards all the people, trying to regain order.

Tsunade looked to the ground in guilt, feeling that everything was her fault. She regained herself and watched as Kurenai god everyone together, leaving down the road with them. She heard a faint yelling under all of the havoc in the village, and turned around to see who it was.

Off in the distance, she noticed Romi, carrying the still injured Shino over her shoulder. She started waving with her only free arm, "Tsunade-sama! Help!"

Tsunade's eyes grew extensive when she noticed the injuries of Shino, drawing her to move towards them quickly. When she came closer to them, she jumped forward and caught Shino from Romi's fatigued arms. "What happened to him?!"

Romi bent down next to Shino and Tsunade, "I... I'm not sure... we were attacked by three ninjas... One was from the Hidden Cloud... and another from Hidden Rock... and I'm not sure where the third one was from... but he was acting strange... I..." Romi began to break down nervously in tears, "What's going on, Tsunade-sama?! Please tell me!"

Tsunade was startled by the additional information she received from Romi. She looked off into space, as she got lost into thought, "_Hidden Cloud... they're... trying to invade Konoha... again...?_" She looked down to Romi slightly alarmed, "You need to take him somewhere safe..." Tsunade looked away, trying to avoid the question Romi had asked previously.

"Tsunade-sama... please! I'm so confused... why is this... happening...!" Romi clung to Shino's jacket in his defense as they laid on the ground looking towards her in concern.

Tsunade hung her head shamefully, "I... don't even know... I need to find out myself..." She sighed wretchedly, "...I'll find out for you though, all of you." She pops up, and turns back with an expression of liability, "...It's my duty after all, right?" Tsunade walked over to the two, and bent down putting her hand on Romi's shoulder, "...Just stay safe... and I'll do everything I can to make things better!"

Romi smiled in relief, "...Ok Tsunade-sama." She crouched herself above Shino's shoulders, and lifted him to his feet, "C'mon Shino... let's find somewhere safe to be..." Romi dragged the limping Shino off down the safe end of the roadside, as Tsunade watched them off.

Tsunade turned away once they left out of sight, and looked around the destruction of the village. "...It has to be... Orochimaru..." She clinched her fist tightly in anger, "_...Looks like I'll have to be visiting you again..._" She shot of in a sprint down the road as fast as her feet would carry her.

------

Sasuke ran frantically down the road, lashing his head back and for the between the all of the panicking villagers as they ran towards the exits. He stood motionless, still looking around as sweat rolled down his face, "_Sakura... Naruto... where are they?!_"

"Eh?! Sasuke! What the hell!" Sasuke turned around quickly to see Kiba pushing through the crowd towards him, "What the hell is going on...!"

Sasuke interrupted him when he came close, by lashing his arms forward, grabbing his jacket and pulling him towards his face in anxiety, "Have you seen Sakura or Naruto anywhere?!"

Kiba looked back in apprehension, "Hey... hey Sasuke! I haven't!" Sasuke pushed him away recklessly and continued pushing his way against the crowd, as Kiba rose back up and turned to him in astonishment, "...what the hell...?!"

Hinata came out of the crowd, being bumped around by the people making the rush for the entrance of town. Every bump she received, she just nervously looked away no matter how much it hurt, "Kiba!"

Kiba looked back and noticed she was in distress, so he blasted trough people towards her, "Hey! Leave her alone you bastards!" He found his way to her, and wrapped his arms around her protectively, "You ok Hinata-chan?!"

Hinata looked up surprised to Kiba's expression, which seemed to have a mature manner in it, one she had never really seen before. She looked down timidly, "...Yes... thank you Kiba..."

Kiba looked down and smiled, "Like I'd let anything happen to you, eh?"

Hinata just looked down again, and smiled happily, "_Thank you Kiba..._"

------

Naruto and Shikamaru sprinted down the empty street, trying to find out what was going on. People, who chose to stay behind, were closing their doors and windows, locking them tightly in hope that they could be hidden well. Naruto looked around with concern for the village, "_...This is bad...! _Shikamaru, you're the Chuunin! What good are you?! You don't know anything!"

Shikamaru glared back to Naruto as they continued running, "Oh shut up you ass! I'm doing everything I can!"

They continued to run frantically through the street, and Shikamaru looked around with hopelessness, "This sucks, I need to find who hurt Choji!"

"Don't worry! We just have to keep looking! We'll find them and make them pay, I guarantee it!"

Shikamaru looked back at Naruto in astonishment, "_...Since when did Naruto become so calm and collected? He really has changed..._" He suddenly sparked a realization, and viciously grabber Naruto's collar, pulling him towards the buildings lying to the side of the road.

"Shikamaru! What are you...?"

Shikamaru slapped his hand against Naruto's mouth and whispered, "Shut up, and keep down!" He looked down the road, so Naruto looked as well out of curiosity.

Naruto saw Naizen rolling along slowly down the road, "_...The Cloud nin..._" A look of seriousness draped across Naruto's expression, "_...what is he doing...? He isn't the bad guy is he?_"

When Naizen came close to the two hiding in the alleyway, he stopped rolling forward, and noticeably switched off his chair, "You two can come out now..."

The two shot up in fear, then reluctantly stepped out, looking at each other nervously. They stopped at a safe distance from Naizen, and Naruto broke... no, no... shattered the silence with his obnoxiousness, "Who are you anyways?!"

Naizen looked over, by just turning his head slowly, "... I'm Naizen... from the Hidden Cloud Village... but I'm not sure why that would matter to you."

Naruto pulled back from the answer, and stepped forward with a shaky voice of concern, "You didn't do any of this right man? You wouldn't do anything like that..." Naizen failed to answer and just continued to stare towards Naruto blankly. Naruto looked back frowning sadly, "_...Why would you..._"

"... I didn't..." Naruto looked back up in surprise, "...I'm not a monster like everyone always think I am..."

Naruto looked back, and smiled happily, "...I never though of you like that..." He flung his fist out energetically, "...I actually always wanted to see you fight! You're probably strong too, hehe!"

Naizen's eyebrows outside his goggles rose up, and huffed in an impressed fashion, "...Well, you guys should be getting out of here though..."

Naruto launched forward, "What?! No way! We're going to find the guys who did this and kick their ass!" Shikamaru stood behind him, shaking his head in disappointment.

"...No... you should just avoid them..."

Shikamaru caught on quickly, "..._Damn! Is he with whoever did this?_" Shikamaru stepped back nervously, now that he had figured things out.

Naizen jerked his head towards Shikamaru, "...I see you've figured it out... I hope you aren't thinking of doing anything foolish."

Naruto looked back at him in confusion, "What? What are you talking about...?"

"He's with them... he didn't lie, though... he didn't hurt anyone." Naizen glanced back coldly, "... but he knows who did..."

Naruto looked back in surprise, "He's wrong, right Naizen!? Stupid Shikamaru!" Naruto laughs in a naïve fashion.

"We just want Konoha's talon..." Naruto's mouth dropped down in disbelief and confusion. "Yes... I'm aware that my team is heartless, and I apologize for that... but you should just hand it over without incident, and we'll leave..."

Naruto cringed, "What the hell!" He flung his eyes opened, flinging tears of anguish, "What the hell is this talon anyways, why is it important enough to kill people?!"

Naizen looks back at him silently at first, "...No one was supposed to die... but we don't really have a choice if you're village continues to play stupid about the talon..."

Shikamaru shoots forward, "What are you talking about?! We don't have any talon; you're in the wrong place!"

Naizen leans back up and looks back with disappointment, "...I see... Your villagers were never told..."

Both Shikamaru and Naruto looked back in confusion, "...Never told us... what?"

------

Sasuke continued running around through town, "_Where the hell are they?! Could they be hurt now?!_" The crowd had broken down, as he saw Kurenai herding the remaining people in the opposite direction he was heading.

"Go, go! Keep moving forward, for your own safety!" Kurenai saw Sasuke heading towards her, "Sasuke! You need to get out of here!"

Sasuke stopped in front of her and shook his head negatively while pointing over her shoulder, "No! I've got to see if Sakura and Naruto are ok!"

"No I can't let you, it's too dangerous! We don't know who's causing all of this!"

Sasuke glared back at her, "I'm going no matter what you say..." Sasuke vanished, and appeared back, running across the roof side and past Kurenai.

She watched him leave, and called out ineffectively, "Sasuke! Wait!" She lashed her head between the crowd and Sasuke, being torn between her duties, "Damn it... Sasuke you pain in the ass..." She decided that she couldn't stop him either way, so she headed to finish leading the villagers out.

Sasuke continued on, skipping down the sides of the buildings over the empty road, which was littered with the collapsed stands and abandoned possessions. He looked forward for a sign of what he was looking for, and could see nothing down the stretch, "_Shit... where are they? And why am I worrying so much..._"

He launched forward, and came screeching to a halt when he spotted three figures in the middle of the road, two heading in his direction, and one standing back. He watched closely, and spotted Shino and Romi sauntering slowly past his hidden perch.

"_Who the hell is she again...? Is she some kind of ninja like Shino?_" He peered over to the figure standing alone and noticed that it was Tsunade, standing silently as she watched Shino and Romi depart.

Being curious, he wriggled his way around the roof top, to get a closer look towards Tsunade, when he overheard her talking to herself, "...It has to be... Orochimaru..."

Sasuke's eyes widened upon hearing his name, the man who tried to steal his body before, "_...Orochimaru..._" He felt the rage build up inside of him, almost equaling the amount of hate he had for his brother. He watched her begin to leave, and rose up stunned at her speed, "_I've got to follow her!_" He followed her closely behind without drawing any attention, "_...and stop Orochimaru myself..._"

------

Neji and Rock Lee walked around hopelessly, wondering where the killers had gone. Neji specifically looked irritated as Rock Lee slumped down in guilt to their inability to be able to do anything.

Neji tried to take his mind off of the upsetting both him and Lee were in, which brought him to think of Tenten. Images of her and Lee together flashed through his mind, as he turned his head towards the stressed out Lee next to him. He grunted to himself and glared towards him, except he noticed Neji was looking at him.

Lee looked confused and raised his head up questionably, "Neji...? What's wrong? What'd I do?"

Neji looked away and huffed, "...Do you even like Tenten?"

Lee pulled back in shock, "...What kind of question is that?"

Neji shot his head back angrily, "I asked you... do you even like her?!"

Lee looked baffled, "...Of course I do..."

Neji looked into Lee's eyes, and narrowed his in skepticism, "What happened to your thing with Sakura-chan? I thought you liked her?"

Lee looked back forward as they continued to walk, and looked down sadly, "...Yea, but she never liked me, and never would either no matter what I do."

Neji looks at him and chuckles, drawing Lee to look up curiously, "What ever happened to achieving anything with hard work? You feel like you can never get her to like you, so you give up and take the girl you know likes you... rather than the girl you actually like..."

Rock Lee lashed back in horror, taking offense to the comment made, "Neji! How could you say something like that! I'm not with Tenten just because I know she likes me, I really do care about her!"

"So Sakura doesn't matter anymore then?"

Lee looked back at him slightly annoyed, "...What does it matter to you anyways?"

Neji turned his head smugly back towards Lee, "Well you should know that she is a lot like you..." Lee's brows rose slightly in hope, "... She hopelessly liked someone who didn't notice her, so tried with someone she knew would like her." Lee froze up and stood still, as Neji stopped and looked back at him chuckling, "...what? Didn't you wonder why she suddenly liked you?"

"...and I'm assuming she likes you... right?"

"Of course she does! Girls like guys like me and Sasuke... but when they can't get our attention, they go for guys like you and Naruto." Neji closed his eyes and smirked, "People may be able to change fate... but love is a whole different thing..."

"...Shut up you idiot..." Neji opened his eyes in surprise, to see Lee cringing with his fists clinched and tears running down his cheeks, "...You're wrong...That's not how things are..."

Neji looked back and smiled, "Oh c'mon Lee... guys like you and Naruto are the last resort! The girl doesn't want to be alone anymore and they know that you would be with them... but if they ever had the chance with us... they'd drop you and take it!"

"SHUT UP!" Neji dropped back in surprise, "...Tenten... loves me, she'd never do such a thing... and Sakura-chan does care for Naruto and wouldn't either... even if Sasuke came up to her!"

Neji looked back, and laughed arrogantly, "You are very naïve, aren't you Lee..."

From behind a voice started calling to both of them, "Lee! Neji!" Tenten came up running in between them, and latched around there shoulders when she reached them, "...are you all ok, both of you?! You didn't find the guys did you?"

Neji looked towards Lee, and answered Tenten without looking towards her, "...No... We didn't find anyone..."

Lee and Neji continued to glare at each other angrily, while Tenten looked at both of them with concern and confusion, "_...What happened...? Are they mad at each other...?_"

------

Sasuke kept his following of Tsunade consistently, as the landscape gradually changed. The forests began to change into grasslands as they moved along, and that made it a lot harder for Sasuke to follow Tsunade closely. He reached the edge of a large clearing, and stopped at the edge of the forest as Tsunade continued into and through the field.

Sasuke dropped to the ground, and began to crawl through the tall grass, "_Damn it, I'm too slow crawling on the ground like this... but I don't want to be caught._"

He became lost after a while, as he took peeks now and then to see if Tsunade was around, until he looked up, and she wasn't there anymore. "_What?! Where'd she go?!_" He rose up from the ground, and looked around in disbelief, "_Damn it! I've got to find her!_"

Sasuke broke out into a sprint across the field and found himself approaching a pillar of smoke growing over the horizon. "What is that? It must be Orochimaru's encampment..." He was aware of how dangerous the Sound Country was, so he kept himself alert.

When Sasuke finally reached the outside of the encampment, he nestled himself in between a set of boxes, to relax after the long trip he had taken following Tsunade. When he had regained himself, he looked around at each person who walked by to see if he could spot Tsunade, but a lot of them were wearing robes and cloaks.

In a panic he decided to use his abilities to find out where she was, "_Sharingan!_" His eyes lit up red, as the three small black marks appeared into his eyes. He looked around at each villager to see their chakra and abilities. He turned his head back and forth till he noticed someone with an obscene amount of chakra in their system.

He sat up, and opened his eyes wide, "_That's her!_" He noticed it was a figure in a large green robe. So he followed the figure through the crowd slowly, trying not to be noticed.

The figure entered a small building off in the slums of the encampment, which seemed to be run down and desolate. As the figure entered the front door casually, Sasuke made himself up to the windows above in order to find access. He climbed into a small attic which had stockpile sound ninja outfits, head protectors, kunai, and shuriken. He climbed through and made his way over to a small hatch in the floor, which he disengaged, and cracked open cautiously.

Finding it clear, Sasuke flipped down onto a small balcony, in which he nestled himself in the corner peeking into the courtyard of the large room between the banisters. The hatch door quietly shut itself above, and Sasuke peered through anxiously.

He noticed the figure in the robe coming in from his right, as it removed its robe. He smiled as her found himself correct with the use of his Sharingan, seeing Tsunade walking up the center of the ballroom.

"Hello old friend... come to kill me again...?"

Sasuke shot his head towards the direction of the voice, to see Orochimaru in his second form, perched up in a large armchair at the other end of the room. He looked in rage, as he gripped the banister tightly to hold himself back. "_...Calm down...!_"

Tsunade stopped, and pointed violently towards him, "What the hell do you want from us now?!"

Orochimaru looked back slightly perplexed, "Well... you sought me out..." He smiled in his typical evilness, "...That would be my line in this situation, wouldn't it?"

Tsunade's mouth dropped open slightly, "_...What? He looks like he has no idea... but if it wasn't him..._"

Orochimaru leaned to his side in his chair, and snapped his fingers, "Oh, I know why you're here... You're wondering why your so called allies are sharing my interest in the destruction of Konoha, right."

Tsunade shot forward, "What the hell do you know about it Orochimaru! Tell me now!"

"Please do not be so demanding! I was getting to it soon enough... I just have some favors to ask of you for the information of course."

Tsunade didn't like how that sounded, so she reacted by taking a deep breath and swallowing nervously. "What do you want...?"

"Humph... I'm sure you are aware of my interests in that young genin of yours, correct?"

Tsunade gripped her fist tightly, "...So you want Sasuke then...?"

Sasuke looked down in surprise as his eyes grew large, as Orochimaru looked back to her slightly bothered, "...Will you let me finish..." Both Tsunade and Sasuke looked towards him in confusion, "...You are correct about my interest in the Uchiha... but I don't want him right now... I want the Nine Tails' boy... that Naruto..."

Sasuke looked down in shock, "_...but... why... My chidori... the level two seal..._" He clinched his fist tightly in rage, "_...and he still wants that idiot!_"

"You can't have him..." Orochimaru looked back in disappointment, as Tsunade raised her hand threateningly, "... and you better reconsider your stand on whether you'd give me that information or not..."

Orochimaru chuckled with amusement, "I see you run a hard bargain... as always! Fine... I'll tell you... just remember... that I get what I want, eventually..."

Tsunade cringed in irritation, "Just tell me!"

Orochimaru closed his eyes calmly, "...The Hidden Rock, Cloud, Sand, and Mist... have built an alliance behind Konoha's back, as well as mine... so do not worry about me having anything to do with this..."

"But why?! What do they want?"

"Oh...? Think about it... what do those four countries want from yours?" Tsunade looked back slightly confused, as Orochimaru sighed with a small grin on his face, "...Have you ever heard of the Hidden Village Talons?"

Tsunade's eyes widened as she launched forward, "So that's what it is? Just for Konoha's talon...?!"

Orochimaru slumped in his chair smugly, "I assume so... It seems pretty appetizing to me! I consider you go find Konoha's talon... or Konoha won't have one anymore."

Tsunade panicked, and turned away from him in a sprint, "_... I forgot...! I'm so irresponsible! I've got to get back and stop them!_" She left the room in a sprint, as Sasuke looked down in confusion, "_...Talons? What the hell are those?_"

"Now about you..." Sasuke looked down at Orochimaru in uncertainty, to see him looking up towards him, "Uchiha..."

Sasuke's eyes opened wide, drawing him to stand up tall. "_...Now what should I do?_" He vaulted the balcony down to the ballroom below, and walked himself over towards Orochimaru, "...What do you want."

"...Your friend Naruto is what I seek..." Sasuke cringed with fury, "...Oh... Did I upset you...?"

Sasuke glared back with offense taken, "...Why the hell should I care if you want that idiot..."

"...because he's taking everything from you..." Sasuke looked backing shock and anger, "...first... he surpasses your fighting skill..."

He clinched his fist tightly, "_...stop..._"

"...then he takes away the attention of you brother..."

"..._stop...!_"

"...he took away the attention of me as well..."

Sasuke closed his eyes, trying to look away from him, "_...STOP...!_"

Orochimaru smiled smugly, "...now he's taken away the love of Sakura, hasn't he?"

Sasuke opened his eyes, exposing the Sharingan in his eyes, "_...Naruto...!_"

Orochimaru began to laugh sinisterly, "Oh my! I've seemed to have struck a nerve with you haven't I? If I were you, I would eliminate the problem..." He smirked suggestively, "...but that's just me... _Humph... I'll have the Uchiha kill him, and get the Nine Tails' out of my way... then I'll take the body I deserve..._"

Sasuke stood there with his head hung down, and his hair covering his solemn eyes, "_...Naruto... the problem...?_"


End file.
